


The Customer is Always Right

by AyaFaulkner



Series: Customer Series [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sailor Moon Fusion, Drama & Romance, F/M, OTP Feels, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 12:59:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 53,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16975026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyaFaulkner/pseuds/AyaFaulkner
Summary: On a night out with friends, Serena finds herself in a bad spot. Luckily, she is saved by a very handsome and mysterious man. What happens when Serena learns that the man in her dreams is much more than she ever expected? Will she allow herself to fall in love or will she run while she still can? Rated MA for language, violence, and lemons.





	1. So it Begins

CH. 1

So it begins...

WAH WAH WAH WAH!

The 22 year sat up quickly, her hand punching the alarm clock next to her until it was finally silenced. The horrific sound was the worst option by far when it came to waking, but it did the trick as she was now fully conscious, having been punched in the gut with it. With her morning habits, waking up via heart attack was the only way to assure she didn't accidentally sleep till noon.

After her pulse slowed to a more natural rhythm, the young woman rose, her long blonde hair falling to the middle of her back in a mess. She stumbled ungracefully to the bathroom and the sound of streaming water could be heard inside the tiny apartment.

Nude, the woman stopped in front of her mirror and slowly inspected her body. It was something all women did. Her reflection held pale skin, which rivaled the moon when it was full, and full curves. Even with most finding her a flawless beauty, one that made men salivate and woman envious, all she saw were her flaws, her 'thin lips' and 'childish face'. She also cursed her height, being 5'3", she was a bit on the short side but those sorts of things were unavoidable and easily fixed with a tall pair of heels….if she wore heels.

"Well Serena Sparrow...this is as good as it's going to get."

Dressing into a pair of tight, light denim capris shorts and a tight tank top, she poured herself a bowl of cereal and stepped out onto her 'balcony', which was really a small landing on her fire escape. Watching the city below, the sun had yet to rise over the tall skyscrapers in the distance and still the city was a buzz of action and life. It was one of the things she loved about New York, it was truly a city that never sleeps. She'd missed that while she was gone.

She stepped back inside and placed her now empty bowl into the sink, glancing at the small clock on her stove.

"Shit, I'm going to be late!"

She threw on a loose t-shirt that was tie-dyed and cut so that it fell off one of her shoulders. It had a picture of a steaming coffee cup and a beer mug side by side on the front and a name printed at the top in big black letters that read, "Sweet Nectar of Life". She hopped towards the door, pulling on a pair of bright pink converse shoes and slipped her purse over her body. She locked the door before racing down the 8 flights of stairs.

Serena tried to read her book as she swayed back and forth on the subway but she found herself secretly people watching. The current cargo varied from over privileged, high society kids on their way to school to tired, third shift workers catching some sleep on their way home.

It angered her how little two particular girls seemed to care that the poor woman near them was trying to sleep as they gossiped loudly about their disappointments in life. The current blow to their egos was the lack of understanding one of their parent's had towards the girl's need for another nose job.

"See, look at this hack job?! I wish my parents cared more. They didn't even take the guy to court, they just settled for a million. A MILLION, can you believe that crap! I look like a monster and that wack job gets to keep ruining faces!"

Serena looked closely at her nose. She couldn't see anything wrong with it. Clearly the girl had no clue that at her age her nose would look completely different by the time she turned 18. She giggled at the thought of telling the girl this, but she did nothing. She'd seen way too many videos on Youtube of "subway confrontations". Serena put her book away and began the task of french braiding all of her, still damp, hair. What she would do with a million dollars...she would produce her music, that's for sure. Barista by trade with a bit of a music habit.

She pushed through the masses of people and rushed to "The Nectar", cursing the subway's inability to ever have a stop that wasn't closer than three blocks from her destinations. Breathless, she put her key in the door and pushed her way in. The air conditioned, dimly lit room reeked of coffee and sweets, instantly calming her already frayed nerves. She could tell today was going to be a long day. It was a good thing she loved her job.

Her lifelong friends Mina, who was part owner, and her brother Andrew, the full owner, were like the brother and sister she had never had. Both of them were used to her strange eccentricities since they had all grown up together, along with the pastry chef, Lita, who did things to cupcakes that would make the Gods cry. The four of them made the full time staff which meant they were always there. It was hard not to become friends when you see one another every day.

Her favorite part about the whole arrangement was that Andrew let her play her music there once a week. She had even developed a small but faithful fan club. Smooth jazz played softly over the speakers now as Mina was setting the place up, sliding delectable pastries into the display. Mina had golden, tanned skin and long strawberry blonde hair that stopped mid-back. When her summer tan faded, she could be Serena's sister.

"Serena! Right on time!"

With a frown on her face, she glared at the blonde. "I'm ten minutes late, Mina."

"I know, but for you that's on time!" Mina gave her a sheepish grin.

To which she glared back. "Oh, har, har, har!"

Serena pinned her name tag on and began setting up the gigantic espresso machine and drip coffee. Lita stuck her head out from the kitchen in the back. Lita was a good foot taller than her with light olive skin and long honey-brown hair that fell just past her shoulders.

"Good morning, Serena!"

The bright smile on her face was automatic. "Good morning! Any new creations today?"

"Oh my gosh, I had a dream last night about a cake. It was a rum cake that I covered in a chocolate ganache..."

"Lita, Lita please. You're making me hungry, stop talking and start making!" Mina begged.

Her stomach was already growling at the thought.

"Yeah, tell us what it is while we are eating it!" Serena added.

Lita disappeared back into the kitchen as she spoke, "Okay, okay."

"I'm pretty sure I've gained weight since moving back here and taking this job!" Serena whined.

Mina gave her a small wink. "I gained at least five pounds when I first started but I'm glad you came back!"

After four years away for college in California, she had missed the rain, practically running back to NYC as soon as the diploma hit her hand. The people in Cali were even more superficial than the ones in NYC. At least here, people told you what they truly thought right to your face. In Cali, they would say the exact same thing, but they would say it behind your back while spilling diamonds from their lips to your face.

Like magic, the clock hit 8am and Serena unlocked the door. The caffeine addicts, deprived of their daily dose, streamed in. The place was soon filled with suits as they shouted out their orders. This was the part of the day that Serena thrived on. It was high adrenaline as she slung out one perfectly prepared order after another. It always lasted at least an hour but it was total chaos the entire time. Most of them were regulars and Serena didn't even need to hear their orders. Many just simply said "Hello" to her and gave their money to Mina.

Even in the sea of suits, it wasn't hard to spot Amy, one of their regulars, with her short, dark blue head poking out in the crowd. Amy worked for some big corporation but Serena didn't know the name of the place. All she knew was it was some business that bloomed to life while she was away. In the four years it had managed to get its fingers in almost every big business in New York but had gotten its start overseas. It sounded like an evil corporation to her as most corporations did. I guess it can't be too bad if they let Amy dye her hair that color.

Once she had caught sight of her, Serena had began her usual order, leaving a few orders ahead of Amy's unfilled. Two large cappuccinos and a large Americano with two extra shots of espresso settled into the cup holder just as the bluenette reached the counter. Amy was sweet but a bit on the quiet side, never one to fight for her place in line.

"Running a bit late today?"

The poor girl was already out of breath, the crowd not being very forgiving today. "Yeah, afraid I'm going to have to be quick today."

This meant their usual morning conversation was going to be cut very short. "Aw no! I'm sorry!"

Amy was a sweet, soft spoken woman; beautiful inside and out. Serena had taken an instant liking to her.

She handed over the cups, all suggly set in a cup tray. "You are all set!"

"Fast as usual! Thanks! You saved my butt! See you tomorrow."

Amy made it to the door with her heavy order only to have it pushed into her by an over zealous guest entering.

"Dammit!" Coffee scorched her chest and stomach leaving a brown stain down the front of her dress. Amy had started to cry, as anyone would. "This is just perfect! Now I'm going to be late for sure. My boss is going to kill me!"

She cringed, knowing full well she would never make it in a world like Amy's, being habitually tardy to a fault.

"Just calm down, Amy. I'll redo your order now and have it ready by the time you get yourself cleaned up and breathing normally." Serena came around the counter, pulling the young woman gently towards the back. "Here, you can use the staff bathroom. No wait and the sink is much bigger!"

Amy stepped inside and she shut the door behind her. The reaction was very out of character for Amy, who was always quiet and smiling. It must be more than a tardy mark on, what she assumed, was a perfect record. Serena quickly assembled another batch of coffee for Amy. The morning rush had died down by now, the only ones left were the writers and those who had nothing better to do on a Friday morning than sit in a coffee house all day.

Her order was finished when she returned, but she still looked upset. Serena put a gentle hand on hers. "Amy. What's up? I've never seen you upset, not even when it's raining cats and dogs, cause you know how handsie people get on those days…."

"We can't all be happy all the time like you, Serena."

She was silent, shocked by her friends words. Even though it was technically a compliment, her harsh tone still stung. Again, very out of character for Amy.

"I'm sorry Serena, that was uncalled for. It's just...my boyfriend has been acting weird lately. I think he is going to break up with me."

Her eyes filled with tears again. Serena pulled her into the best hug she could with the counter between them.

Serena hardly knew what to say. She'd never really had a guy make her feel that way before, to make her whole personality change from worry and sadness. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, we've all been there girl!" Mina added.

Speak for yourself.

Frowning guiltily, Amy glanced around the now relatively quiet coffee house. "I'm sorry to bother you guys with it, especially when you're both so busy at work."

She looked around as well, wondering just what Amy saw when she looked around. "If it is really bothering you, then why don't you come back after you get off today? I'll buy you a beer and we can have some real girl talk for once?"

Her face brightened. "Really?!...Okay...I'll see you later then."

Andrew had arrived just as Amy was collecting her order for the second time and walked past him.

"Tell me, Serena, is there anyone who doesn't fall madly in love you?"

"Is that a marriage proposal?" She smirked.

"You caught me. What do you say?!"

"I think...a June wedding would be nice."

Scrunching up his nose, he gave her a look. "This June? That's only a month away. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Andrew….I'm pregnant."

He feigned a shocked look that reminded her of a soap opera. "Oh no! What will I tell my wife?"

She chuckled, resigning herself to letting him win this round. "Guess I will just be on my own, then!"

"Seriously though, Serena, you are too nice, especially for New York. You have to be one of the nicest people I know!" Andrew turned to see four offended eyes on him. "I said ONE of the nicest. I'm looking at the other two!"

Mina smirked. "Well that's not saying much. You don't know that many people!"

Andrew smirked right back. "Well luckily, a strong social life doesn't affect business!"

"Does this mean...?"

"Yep, expecting a call this afternoon!"

They both jumped around, acting like complete fools, holding onto one another.

"Um….did I miss something here?" Lita stood behind her, her hands on her hips. "Is there something special about this call? Or is Andrew's social life that bad?"

He scowled at her. "Yes, it's special. It's a call from the Mr. Shields himself!"

"That's great, Andrew!" Lita offered.

Serena waved her hand like an overeager child in class, gaining their attention. "Still lost here."

"Mr. Shields, as in the Mr. Shields of Strom Corp?"

"That name, Strom, sounds really familiar to me…."

Mina grinned. "That's because you see that name on almost everything here and around the country!"

Serena frowned. "So...you are going to become a company man now?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry, Serena, nothing is going to change. We may just open a few more stores. That's all." She was pretty sure that's what all businesses said before they sold their souls. "Now, we need to make sure we all stay sharp. Strom is notorious for checking in on all future investments...personally."

Serena tried to imagine a high up corporate man trying to blend into their usual crowd. Sure, they catered to a LOT of businessmen but they were all lower level, none of them a CEO or anything. Surely Mr. Shields himself wouldn't be checking on them. It would be another middle man, someone that none of them would really notice, other than being a new face. Which was common, being in the big city of New York. Would any of them notice? They could have already come by and no one would have caught on! She wasn't going to stress. She'd never had a complaint for her coffee or anything else. They would be fine.

No one, not even Serena, realized that the quickly made americano with two MISSING shots of espresso was on it's way now to the Strom Corp.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

His eyes opened to the soft swishing of his timed, automatic blinds. The small motor rolling them up and exposing his room to the grey light of day.

Pulling on some sweats, he headed out for his morning run, cutting across the street to Central Park. Earbuds in, he let the news podcast cut out most of the other sounds as he made his way from one side to the other, passing other joggers with a nod.

After a quick shower, he sat down to his breakfast; grapefruit, toast, and a cup of coffee, with his paper in his hand. Most people just watched the news these days but he enjoyed the feeling of the paper in his hands.

It was foggy and gray outside, but the streets were already busy with people and cars visible even out of his high rise apartment. It's one of the things he loved about this city. It never seemed to sleep.

The 29 year old dressed in his three piece, gray Armani suit, taking his time to make sure everything was straight and in order. Checking himself in the mirror, he pulled a hand through his slightly unruly black hair, his tan skin standing out against the white collar of his shirt. He liked this suit. It fit well, which was hard to find with his broad shoulders and chest. It was as if the men in his line of business, those who wore suits, didn't take good enough care of themselves, needing more room in the waist than in the shoulders.

An older man, who was steeped in wisdom, appeared in the doorway of his bedroom. "Mr. Shield's? Your car is ready."

"Thank you Richard."

Richard handed him his briefcase, the young man reciprocating with a thankful pat on his shoulder, and they walked together to the door. "Will you be dining in or out tonight, sir?"

"Out. Michelle will be joining me so could you have the car pick us up around 6?"

"Of course, sir," a displeased look spread on his face, but he didn't voice a single objection.

"Thank you."

It wasn't long after he had settled into his office when his beautiful assistant walked in, her dark blue hair a stark contrast to her pale face. It was that hair that had caused him to hire her in the first place. So many had interviewed; even an assistant's position was highly sought after at Strom, but she really stood out. He was pleased to find that her hair wasn't the only thing that made her special. She was a quiet girl, good at her work, but honest with her opinions. He found he relied on it many times since he'd hired her.

However, the usually respectful girl only muttered, "Good morning, sir."

It took him by surprise even though she had been a bit off lately. "Good morning, Amy. Is everything alright? You look a little...frazzled today."

She opened up her blazer to reveal the coffee stain down the front of her dress. He sighed in slight agitation. The last thing he needed was her in a bad mood and distracted today.

"Take a car and a long lunch today. Go home and change."

She gave him a small smile, one victory for the day at least. "Thank you, sir."

"What does my day look like?"

His day was read out to him, something that happened everyday. It was much like being a robot with a list of commands and tasks he had to complete that day. Most of it was mundane; meetings with board members for some one on one time, a lunch with a few politicians to stay in good graces with them and two investment properties. The investments were his bread and butter; the only thing that he got up and went to work for everyday. He found it interesting seeing, most of the time, how the other half lived. However, one was a coffee shop and the other a club. Both completely different in their own rights, but also the same in that they were small and wanting.

The club had come to him as they wanted Strom to invest, which was not uncommon, but he dreaded those types of meetings the most as they were usually either desperate to hold onto a dying company or greedy.

The coffee shop, Nectar, he was looking forward to. He got his coffee from them everyday, which was a difficult task since he was a picky man, especially about his coffee. He had sought them out, after Amy's not so subtle suggestion, and wanted to expand them nationally. The owner only wanted to do a few shops around the burrows. He was hoping to talk him into more, but they would have to see.

"Sir, Mr. Deemond is here."

"Show him in."

Club owners. They always seemed to be so slick and slithery. The man in front of him was no exception. Apparently, the man already owned a "successful" club and wanted to open a few more.

The guy sat across from him, legs crossed like he was on his own couch with a cocktail in his hand.

"Look, I know your company doesn't do clubs..."

"That's because clubs come and go."

"But my place is different! Come and check it out for yourself. I'll put you on the V.I.P. list. If you show up then I'll show you around. But if you don't, then no harm done."

"No pressure, huh?"

Mr. Deemond sneered. "Exactly."

He didn't tell him that, if he were to seriously consider investing, he would have stopped by anyways. "I'll think about it. Now, if you'll excuse me," he gestured towards the door.

"Sure," Mr. Deemond said as he rose and extended his hand. "Thank you for your time today."

"Yes."

After he had left, Mr. Shields turned to Amy who had been sitting taking notes the whole time. "Well, what do you think?"

Amy seemed to think about what she was going to say for a minute, maybe deciding if it was appropriate.

He sighed, knowing she needed a little encouragement. "Just give me your honest opinion."

"He reminded me of a snake. A slimy, disrespectful, cocky snake. The kind that hide in the grass and bite your ankles when you walk by."

"He did seem a bit full of himself, didn't he? Ever been to his club?"

She gave him a sheepish look. "I….I don't really do that. Do you mind if I go to lunch?"

"Fine, I can handle the next meeting."

"You're sure you don't need me?"

He waved off her concern. "It's just a short conference call. Besides, I'm not afraid of him."

"You would be if he held your livelihood in his hands..." She tensed, already regretting her honesty.

He gave her a small smile. "I'm the one with your livelihood in his hands. You should stop fearing him." With that he walked to his father's office.

He knocked but entered without an answer. His father was on the phone barking at someone, not paying attention to him anyways. Typical.

"Why don't you just put hundred dollar bills on the walls, it would be cheaper!" Then he slammed the phone down, turning his attention to him at last.

"This "decorator" your mother hired is going to end up decorating my coffin if she continues to bleed me dry."

"Denise is hardly my mother. She isn't even close to being old enough," he sneered. His father bristled under his not so veiled disapproval. "That is what you get for giving her the okay to redecorate in the first place. I would think by now, what with all your marriages, you would have learned not to fall for that trick."

He sighed. "You're right, Darien. What is this place we are looking into again?"

"It's called "Sweet Nectar of Life", "Nectar" for short. You've gotten your coffee from there for over a year now, father."

"Oh yes, yes that's right. Great cappuccinos."

"Well, they sell wine and beer too. They have live music every night as well."

"Have you checked it out yet?"

"No, but Amy really likes it and I believe they are a strong investment."

He looked over at him, a blank look on his face. "Who's Amy?"

"My assistant? She brings you your coffee every morning? She has blue hair!?"

"AH, yes, her," he nodded his head in silent approval. "What about that club?"

"No, not yet. I've been put on the V.I.P. list tonight..."

"Great! A young single man such as yourself should enjoy something like that."

He had the thought to fight him on it but it died in his chest. He hated clubs but he had been looking for an excuse to get out of his "date" with Michelle, a spoiled beauty he met years ago, thanks to his father's pushing, hoping to make a business merger out of the two of them. Michelle was a gorgeous woman with a rockin' bod but she lacked a deeper personality that he required to keep up even the simplest of conversations. Their on again, off again, relationship was starting to bore him, which was when he usually turned them back to 'off'. It was clear Michelle wanted more, always claiming that the two of them were compatible, which was why she kept coming back. He just came back because they were compatible in bed.

"I'm ready for lunch, so let's get this call over with," his father stated, uninterested. Looks like I'm going to have to do some convincing on this one.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Andrew emerged from the office well after the lunch rush. Serena, Mina, and Lita were stuffing themselves with the lunch Lita whipped up for them.

"Oh my god, Andrew. You have to try this!" Mina exclaimed.

Lita had made a Pane Ripieno, or stuffed bread for us non-gourmets, with sun ripened tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil pesto and the new cake creation. Andrew did not have to be asked twice.

"So, how did the call go?" Serena asked.

"I think it went well. They are definitely interested. Apparently, they have been getting their coffee from us for a year now and they really like our stuff."

She stood, giving a mock bow. "You're welcome, you're welcome."

Mina poked her shoulder. "Maybe it was a good thing, you getting sacked by Starbucks after all?"

She shuddered. "Yeah, well I still hate corporate monster machines. I'd rather work here anyways. Sticking up for the little man!"

Andrew shook his head as he took his first bite. "Okay, okay. No need to go to war now, especially with us aligning with said Corporate Monster Machines." He turned, looking over at Lita, "and you! If you keep this up, we will all have gained five pounds like Mina!"

"Hey! You said you couldn't tell!"

"I can't but you still did."

"No one appreciates me," Mina said in mock sadness.

"I'm just kidding Mina! If you hadn't come in and helped fix up the place, I wouldn't have lasted another week."

"I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did, Bro, with the shape this place was in. Seriously, Serena, you should have seen it! Bright red walls and green booths!"

"Shit, really? Andrew you should be ashamed!"

"Yes…..and I was. Now get back to work," he said as he made a whip sound and gesture, ducking back into his office with a large helping of Lita's work.

As it hit five, the night crowd began to come in. People who had late shifts got coffee and people just getting off work got beer or wine. Some got both if it had been a rough day. Serena was busy sweeping when Mina stopped her.

"Serena, what are you doing? It's 5:30!"

"Oh crap, really?" She said and glanced at her watch.

"Hurry up and get in the back before he..."

But it was too late. Mr. Deemond walked up to the counter. His pale pink collared shirt had too many buttons unbuttoned at the top and revealed his chest hair and gold chain around his neck. His long platinum blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, making him look like a romance novel cover gone horribly wrong and so sleazy. He stopped by every Friday at the same time, trying to get into her pants no matter how many times she told him no.

"Hey, beautiful."

She was pretty sure he called all of the "women" that so that he didn't have to keep track of names.

"Hello, Mr. Deemond."

"Serena, we go through this every day. Just call me Travis," he leaned heavily against the counter. "So, you free tonight?"

"Actually I have plans…..with my friends." The look on his face made her instantly regret mentioning who she would be with.

"On a Friday night? So, no date then?"

"No, not tonight." She hoped that was a good enough cover, even though she was pretty sure he would act the same even if she was seeing someone.

"Well if you get lonely, you know your name is always on the list. You can bring your friends if you want!"

"Maybe," she replied, handing him his usual.

He made sure to touch her hand as she handed it to him. Without taking his eyes off of Serena, he handed a twenty over to Mina.

"Keep the change. Hope to see you tonight. Later, beautiful."

As soon as the door closed behind him, Serena began to fidget and shake like she had touched something slimy or rotten. A few of the other customers watched her and laughed.

"Ug, I feel like I need a shower every time I have to talk to him."

"Serena, don't you think you're just a bit too picky? He's not that bad," Mina defended.

"Yeah, I guess. But something about him bugs me. Maybe it's all his money."

"So, now you're against rich people?" Lita asked.

"No, just rich people who act rich. You know, like they're better than other people. Did you see how he shoved his money in Mina's face? No thank you!"

The girls laughed and shook their heads, but they wouldn't find it so amusing if it was bugging them like he did her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I'm off, Amy. Have a good weekend, see you on Monday."

"Alright, thank you, Mr. Shields."

"Oh, and the coffee today was not good, too weak or something. You should tell them that they should pay more attention and get an order right. Especially one that hasn't changed in a year or they might lose my business."

The elevators doors shut before Amy could say anything.

Serena had just clocked out when Amy walked in, looking a little less for wear. She was glad she came, but also a bit surprised. A sweet girl like Amy had to have other friends to talk to, didn't she? Something was clearly up with the girl and even if she didn't talk about it, she was determined to brighten the girl's spirit.

"Hey, Lita? You gonna take a break from your hubby tonight and join us?"

"Oh, I can't. Nick is going out of town on Tuesday so we are going to...pack."

Mina emerged from the bathroom. "Yeah right. Keep that up and you guys are going to have three hearts beating under the same roof!"

Lita blushed while she gave us all hugs and kisses goodbye before rushing out the door.

"Well, guess it's just us three tonight." Mina said as they looked to Amy.

She looked their new companion over. "Amy, you look better already."

"Yeah my boss let me go home and change."

"Well...that was nice." Serena said, surprised.

"Yeah. He's a nice guy, he's just...so serious."

Amy and Mina grabbed a table while Serena grabbed beers and took it over to the waiting ladies. She loved working at a place she actually wanted to spend time at, even after she was off the clock. The employee discount didn't hurt either.

It took a beer and a half to get Amy to relax and open up. "He has been distant. I tried to get him to talk to me about it but he says it's nothing. He's seeing someone else isn't he?"

"No, there could be plenty of reasons." Mina said with uncertainty, a terrible liar. Turning, ever the love guru, she gave Serena the 'do something quick' look.

"Why don't we go out? That should get your mind off things."

"Yeah, we could go dancing!" Mina squealed.

Amy sadly replied, "But it's a Friday night. What club is going to let us in?"

Mina shot her a devilish look. "I know of one."

Serena's palms began to sweat at the thought, "No! No no no no no. Absolutely not!"

"What? Where do you want to go?" Poor Amy was clueless, her eyes dancing back and forth between them.

"How would you like to go to Club Diamond?" Mina purred.

Amy perked up a bit. "Really? My work is looking into that place. It wouldn't be bad for me to check it out."

"You hear that Serena? Amy wants to go."

"Mina, we aren't even dressed for it!" Serena was trying to find a way out of this.

"My place is right around the corner. You guys can borrow some of my clothes!"

"We don't have to go, Serena, if you don't want to." Sweet Amy. She was so considerate, unlike her "best" friend right now. But Mina was right. Amy needed this and it would be the only club they could get into tonight.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Darien called Michelle, canceling their evening. He told her it was work, which was true, but he also knew if he had told his father about the date he could have gotten out of it. But he didn't want to. She fussed and gave him a hard time of course, making him even more satisfied with his decision.

Richard was surprised to hear the change of plans but barely hid his happiness at another Michelle-less night. He ignored it and went to get dressed for this club. He exchanged his very nice suit for a pair of dark jeans and a dark green polo shirt. He had no clue what people wore to these kinds of places but he didn't want to go in one of his suits. The thought of some sticky drink getting sloshed onto him by some drunken fool was more than enough to have him hiding them.

Besides, the goal on these sorts of trips was to go unnoticed to get a true perspective of the establishment and punching a drunk in the face for ruining his clothes would definitely ruin that plan. He ran a wet hand through his hair to give it a messy look and set off to 'work'.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Okay so maybe coming to Mina's for clothes was a bad idea. As a frequent clubber, Mina had a large array of "club" clothes and all of them were tight-fitting and skimpy.

Somehow, Mina had talked her into a white dress that was more like a towel. It was made of a silky material that stretched tightly across her body. If it's tightness didn't reveal enough, the length of the dress did. It stopped mid thigh and the neckline left little to the imagination as it scooped low and showed a lot of cleavage. Two tiny straps held it up and she hoped it would be enough, though it would take some serious tugging to get the dress to come completely off. It looked more like a slip than a dress and Serena was starting to get suspicious that it was. Emerging from the bathroom, she received a chorus of whoops and hollers.

"Come on, guys. I look ridiculous."

"No, you don't. You look hot!" Mina yelled while she frowned. "Look Serena, I know your into the whole "bohemian" look, but seriously you look stunning."

Amy had managed to talk Mina into letting her wear what she had on but Mina made her lose the blazer so she just had on a dark blue business dress that came to her knees. With it's thick straps, square neckline, and tight fit, she still looked ready to party. Mina had on a pale yellow, t-shirt dress with a thick brown belt around her tiny waist. The "dress" stopped right under her butt. If she bent over there would be trouble but Serena seriously doubted she could in the high heels she was wearing.

"Now take that braid out of your hair!"

"Bossy much?"

"Just do it and sit," she pushed Serena down on the bed and began applying lipstick.

After some back and forth, Serena convinced Mina to let her wear flats. Her winning argument was that she would never be able to walk, let alone dance, in such torture devices as the stilettos Mina shoved at her. After that, they were on their way. Serena sent up a silent wish that Deemond wouldn't find her so she didn't get groped too much tonight. But the look on Amy's face told her it would be worth it, even if he did.


	2. Into the Fray

CH. 2

Into the fray…

"Name?" The very large man dressed in black asked him.

"Darien Shields."

Annnd poof, the man instantly moved out of his way. The club was deafening. Why the music had to be this loud, he wasn't sure. The place looked like any other club; dance floor in the middle, booths and tables along the walls with a large bar at the front. This one had a black, silver, and white color scheme, but still managed to look a bit trashy.

Darien was sure that if he avoided the V.I.P. room he could go unnoticed by Deemond. He walked over to the overcrowded bar and found that he had to flash money to get served. When he finally got his beer, he turned his attention to the dance floor. It was teeming with bodies intermingling together as if they were trying to defy physics and push together. A few people looked like they were having sex right on the dance floor.

A soft someone pushed against him, trying to get to the bar. He looked to his right...but saw no one. He had to look down to find the petite blonde with the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen looking up at him. She seemed to be saying sorry but he could barely hear her. The last thing he needed was a distraction, turning away from the beautiful woman, only to curse himself as his eyes kept watching her out of the corner of them.

It took either money or a nice pair of breasts to get a drink as the girl leaned only a little bit onto the bar and got the bartender's attention. He quickly squashed down the jealousy that rose up in him, feeling foolish for such an emotion. The whole scene did cause him to notice how nice the girl's breasts were, though, something else he found himself cursing over again. He didn't even realize he was staring at her until she turned to leave with three beers in her hand. She caught his gaze but didn't shrink away. She gave him a curt nod and walked away. He couldn't help but watch her form as she made her way back to her booth, noting her nice ass as well.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Serena had been to a few clubs but it had been a LONG time. She'd forgotten how loud and crowded they could be but that was good as it would be easy to lose an unwanted person in the crowd if necessary. Deemond was busy or he hadn't found her yet, so her ass was still safe.

Well, it was until some guy decided to slap hers and Mina's. Mina LOVED it, but Serena was annoyed and Amy just laughed. Yep, definitely worth it.

Mina wanted to dance, which meant she was going to need another drink. Amy asked for one as well as she left the two of them to head to the bar. Squeezing her way through people, she had to get closer to people that she was really comfortable with. The men tried to get her to stay, the women just look annoyed, while the drunk, male and female, tried to rub back.

Someone pushed into her and sent her flying into some man at the bar. It felt as if she'd hit a brick wall. Someone works out!

His dark blue eyes washed over her, making her feel like she might drown. Stumbling a bit, still thrown by the intense look he was giving her, she tried to say sorry. It came out a bit small and weak. No way he heard it. His eyes soon left hers, turning back to his drink with disdain.

Trying to shrug it off, she went back to her mission. She felt eyes on her and turned to see dark blue eyes again. He didn't even try to act embarrassed or look away. He just kept his eyes on her like she was going to rob the guy. Ignoring him, she leaned over the bar, remembering exactly how to get service even in a club as busy as this one. As soon as her elbows hit the bartop, poof, the bartender appeared to take her order. He took his time getting it back to her, sending her flirty eyes the whole time, but the only thing she could think about was the eyes burning their way through her brain.

This guy had some nerve and she wasn't about to let him think he'd gotten to her. She turned, meeting him stare for stare and gave him a simple nod. Sure it was silly and childish, but what else could she do?

At some point, shots appeared before them, free for all the ladies in the house. That must have been Deemond's idea. She'd already drank more than she ever did and Mina knew this, taking advantage of it, pulling her and Amy towards the dance floor. When she found a space that was a little open, Mina turned and took Amy's hands to dance with her. Still shy at first, Amy actually looked like she was having a good time now.

Meanwhile, Serena stood there watching them and letting the music wash over her. She loved music; it calmed her. Even this tribal techno they were now playing. She let herself go and let the alcohol take over. Her body began to move subconsciously to the music. She didn't notice all the eyes that made their way to her lithe form.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This was starting to get ridiculous. What was he doing? He was supposed to be working, not watching girls! No matter how beautiful they were. He couldn't take his eyes off of the small blonde as she moved on the dance floor. Her long, blonde hair fell in waves down her back like melted gold and as she lifted her hair to reveal her small back and shapely figure. He had to stop himself from running over to her right then and there.

Several women had approached him during the evening, wanting him to dance or to go someplace private, but his mind had been on his earlier bump in with the girl for the rest of the night. He was used to women throwing themselves at him, either based on his looks or his bank account. Unfortunately, this girl, had taken one look at him and wanted nothing more to do with him. Something told him his bank account wouldn't attract her either.

At least she was serving as a nice distraction, having given up on any semblance of work long ago. This was just another club set on getting the girls as drunk as possible and the boys a place to pounce on them. Any girl here 'just to dance' was fooling herself.

He was contemplating completely giving in and trying his luck with the blonde again, taking his eyes away from her in hopes of stopping himself from doing something stupid. That's when his eyes landed on Deemond a few feet away. He had already decided this place was a hard 'no go'.

The last thing he needed was the over-eager Deemond pressing him for his approval.

He ducked his head, praying not to be seen. But as he watched Deemond, he quickly realized the man's attention was firmly planted somewhere else. He let his eyes follow Deemond's gaze that landed squarely on his blonde. For some reason, his heart began to race, rage filling him as Deemond made his way over to her and grabbed her hips, fully blocking his view.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Someone pressed against her back and she could feel his "eagerness" grinding into her back. Oh, gross! Her heart jumped into her throat when she turned to find Deemond leering at her. She quickly looked around her, looking for someone who would save her, but Mina and Amy were far too engrossed in their little dance to notice her distress.

"Hello, beautiful. Couldn't stay away, I see," he whispered into her ear as much as he could whisper in this noise.

Her skin crawled as his breath whipped across her skin. "I guess not," she said, curt and rude. She hoped to push him away but when had that ever worked in the past?

"Would you like to see the V.I.P. room?"

"I don't want to leave my friends..."

"Oh, they'll be fine. Come on."

He proceeded to drag her off the dance floor, as usual, not taking no for an answer. Why didn't she think about this before? Deemond owned the place. There were plenty of places he could drag unsuspecting girls to. Except, she wasn't unsuspecting. She knew exactly what he would do, or try to do, if he got her into that V.I.P. room. She tugged and clawed at his hand but his drunken state allowed for him to be impervious. She caught the eyes of one too many strangers along the way and her heart sank when not a single one did anything to help her. Regardless of her fight, she was now inside the quiet and empty V.I.P. room….with Deemond.

It was a small room, the stairs leading down into it dipped slightly lower than the main floor. Temporary walls, that didn't quite reach the ceiling, lined the room. There was a small, plush couch, a coffee table that was covered in a shiny lacquer and a small tv on the wall that was muted on a dance music channel. The famous singer danced around to a different rhythm, making it all seem a bit stranger. Everything was white making the room almost glow, even in the low lighting. But what really made her heart drop to her stomach was the stripper pole in the corner on a small stage. This was a sex room.

"Look, Deemond. I really appreciate you having us here but I should really get back to my friends."

"Don't be shy, beautiful. Have a glass of champagne with me."

It wasn't a question. It was a demand. The V.I.P. rooms were much quieter than the rest of the club so Serena could tell by his slurred words that he'd already had too much champagne. She quietly sipped from her glass as he watched her. It was really creeping her out. Maybe Andrew was right; she was too nice. If she'd been meaner, more honest with the guy, she wouldn't be stuck in this room with him. She set the glass down and moved towards the door, hoping to just get a little closer and then make her escape. As soon as she got close, Deemond moved between her and freedom.

"Deemond."

"It's Travis."

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I really did come here to dance with my friends, not to see you."

He smirked. "Yeah, that's what they all say." They?! How many times had he done this?!

The look in his eyes made her start to tremble. "Please...please get out of my way."

"Oh, I love it when you beg."

He closed the distance between them and snaked an arm around her waist. She struggled against his hold but it was iron tight.

"That's right, struggle. I love it!"

He was drunk, but something told her that was just an excuse he would use later, blaming the alcohol for his rash behavior. She hoped that, in his inebriated state, she could overpower him. Punching and kicking, she bucked against him in the hopes of throwing him off balance.

Her plan wasn't working and she was really starting to get scared. "Let me go! Someone help me!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs but, just as she feared, it seemed that no one could hear her.

Deemond threw her onto the couch and when she tried to get up, he straddled her, painfully grabbed her wrists and held them over her head. Then he kissed her, trying to force his tongue into her mouth, but her wall of teeth wouldn't let him. He freed one hand by holding both her wrists in one, allowing his free hand to wander over her body. He painfully squeezed her breast and then lowering his hand to the fabric at the end of her skirt.

How had it all come to this? She'd underestimated him, been a fool to think he was just another ambitious suitor. Now there was nothing she could do to stop him and no one else to help her. Tears began to fall unchecked down her cheeks and, to her disgust, it only seemed to turn Deemond on more.

The door to the room he had stashed her in crashed opened and the man she had bumped into earlier was standing in the doorway. For a second, she feared he was just a friend of Deemond's, looking to join in on the 'fun'. But the look on his face told otherwise. The man stalked over and punched Deemond square in the jaw. He went slack against her. She shrieked and wiggled, trying to get his weight off of her. Her savior gently grabbed her arm and helped her, pushing her towards the door. As much as she wanted to run, she couldn't. Something made her stop and wait for the man. The man leaned over the lump on the floor and she watched as Deemond's eyes went from shock to anger as he looked right at her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Did no one but him see Deemond take this girl off the dance floor? He was clearly dragging her! He followed as closely as he could and watched as they vanished into the V.I.P. rooms. No one else seemed to notice or care. Why did he care? It's not like he knew this girl. But the thought of Deemond running his hands over her body made him feel sick. Next thing he knew, he was in the V.I.P. area, looking for Deemond.

It is so much quieter back here. And private. It was clear that all the money for putting this club together was spent back here, catering to the higher end clients. No wonder Deemond wanted him to come back here. He didn't hear anything that sounded like a struggle. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe the girl did want to go with him. As he turned to leave, his inner voice yelling at him to keep looking, a scream came to his ears. It was soft, still far away from him, but he was certain. He didn't know if it was Deemond and the blonde, but it was still someone who needed help.

Finding the door that the screams were coming from, it got quiet, and worry gripped his heart. Propriety be damned, he kicked the door in.

His heart melted at the sight of her, the poor little-lost angel and the Deemond on top of her. The tears in her eyes enraged him and took over as he punched Deemond right in his snake face. He wanted to kill him. Kill him for touching her, for hurting her, for being a dick in general. But the terror on her face stopped him. He opted for just getting her out of there. He pushed her out the door and out of the way before leaning into Deemond's bloody face.

"Is this what you want more money for? Molesting innocent women? You can FORGET us ever investing in you and your disgusting business!"

The first to admit, he didn't have the best track record with women. Sure, he had hurt plenty of women, but he hurt them emotionally. He would never physically hurt a woman and he abhorred anyone who did. It was the lowest of the low who hurt women and children. Without a doubt, he would lose no sleep over this.

To his surprise, the girl was waiting for him. He shut what remained of the door behind him and hoped Deemond wasn't dumb enough to follow him. Tears still followed down her cheeks and her face was red and puffy. She looked so adorable. He couldn't help but brush her tears away. She jerked a little at first, understandably, but then leaned into his embrace.

He felt the need to be very careful with her, not wanting to scare her away, "Are you okay?"

"I am now," her breathing was still hurried. "I didn't think anyone was going to help me. How did you know?"

"I was…..watching you….on the dance floor. I saw him drag you away."

"Others saw, but no one did anything."

Her tears began to pick up again. Not really knowing what possessed him, he pulled her into his arms and stroked her tiny back. It wasn't because she was crying. He had seen plenty of women cry before and he didn't feel like this, this need to protect her and make her feel better. He wanted more than anything to see the fiery young woman he saw on the dance floor. The one you didn't give a rat's ass. The one who had made his heart stop with one glare. The desire was drowning out all rational thought.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This had to be the kindest act a stranger had ever done for her. Forget that he saved her from a fate worse than death. He stuck around and comforted her! She'd never heard of a stranger doing this before. It pulled at her strangely, making her feel a bit weird inside. Maybe that was the adrenaline mixed with booze talking. She was having a hard time regaining herself as a result, embarrassing herself by clinging to this poor man and wetting his shirt. She pulled away in horror when she realized she was ruining his clothes.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Here you are saving me, and how do I repay you? I destroy your shirt!"

"It's okay, it's an old shirt," he said laughing.

She smiled at his joke and he grabbed her chin. "That's better."

His touch was gentle and, for the first time, she really took in his appearance. Ebony hair fell gently into dark blue eyes that were surrounded by long dark lashes. He had strong cheekbones and chin; at least, that's what Mina would say. He was just so...beautiful. It was safe to say she wasn't in her right mind, everything was just a bit hazy. Even with the beautiful man in front of her, all she could think about was the fact that she could still taste Deemond in her mouth. The thought sent a shiver up her spine and not in a good way. He was watching her, waiting for something. Maybe he was waiting for her. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't mind if she used his help one more time. She wanted, more than anything, to have someone, anyone else on her tongue. She did it, slowly, leaning up and kissing this man; her savior. She knew full well that if this was going too far, she would have plenty of excuses to back her up. But to her pleasure, he kissed her right back.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She tasted sweet and he gave into the moment. A small part of him wondered why, but most of him didn't care and he pushed deeper into her lips. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the way her small frame fit into his arms. Electricity traveled up and down his spine in pleasurable waves. He licked her lower lip and she granted him entry, her tongue playing against his.

Fear struck him; he was worried that this might be a fantasy. A dream he had stumbled into and would soon end with him waking up alone in his bed. She nibbled his lower lip and he could not contain the groan that escaped him. His hands clenched and unclenched the fabric of her dress. He tried to retain control, resisting the urge to throw her down and take her in this hallway. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away but she was slowly driving him insane.

As suddenly as it had started, she pulled away, leaving him wanting more. Her eyes, hazy with desire, suddenly cleared with the realization and she tried to pull out of his arms. He tried to let her go but he was not in control of himself at the moment.

She shook her head as if that would dispel the remaining heat between them. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

He held her tight and pulled her back into his embrace making her face him. "It's okay."

So she kissed him again.

She was attacking this man; right after he had just saved her from the same thing! He didn't seem to mind too much but men are different than women. Just because their bodies say yes, doesn't mean that they actually want to.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She found the strength to pull away somehow. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

He held her to him, pulling her back into his arms. Arms that were so warm and strong and...mmmm.

A small smile slowly formed on his lips. "It's okay."

His voice was so deep and husky with desire. That was enough for her, which was good because she didn't know if she could keep away from him any longer. There was something she was forgetting. It kept pressing in the back of her mind but warm butterflies filled her body and pooled at the bottom of her belly and melted away the rest of that thought.

Her legs were shaking as he began filling her with desire again. All she wanted was to replace the memory of Deemond with something else but this was far and beyond what she had expected. Perhaps she had a white knight complex and never realized it until now.

Her mouth felt scorched from the touch of his lips and the heat continued down as he lay a trail of kisses across her chin then down to her neck. She let out a groan that only fired him more as he turned them both and pressed her up against the wall. With one hand gripping his collar and the other tangled in his hair, she held on for dear life. His hands tickled down her sides, only grazing her breast and her hips, an act she wouldn't have felt so well had it not been for the dress she wore.

He brought his hands back up again to cup her face and returned his mouth to hers. What would Mina or Amy think of her kissing a man that didn't even know her name? Her mind snapped back to reality; Mina and Amy. They were still on the dance floor and she had no idea how long she had been back here. If she didn't leave soon, the two of them would start tearing the club apart looking for her. They might even call the cops, something she was still debating whether or not to do herself. However, she didn't want this man to get in trouble for attacking Deemond.

She pushed as gently as possible to get him off, needing to break the kiss but not wanting to at the same time. The two of them were panting, still holding on tight as if afraid to let go. She stared into his darkened eyes and tried again to remember what it was she was supposed to do. As his lips began to lower to hers again, she put one finger up to his mouth to stop him and smiled.

"I should go find my friends. They are probably looking for me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

His release of her was slow but he let her go. He watched her as she left but didn't say a word, not even to ask for her name or number. It would seem that he didn't enjoy their moment as much as she had.

Her knees weak, she wobbled her way out to the rest of the club. Mina and Amy had been searching for her for a while because when they found her they seemed freaked. Their nerves set hers off again and suddenly, she wanted more than anything to get out of the dark and loud club. It held too many memories, even if a small percentage of them were good.

In the haze of the moment, he stupidly watched her leave. He felt a small surge of pride when she struggled to walk straight, knowing full well it had nothing to do with booze. Then he realized he didn't know her number, her name or anything that could help him find her again. He ran after her, seeing her mix in with the crowd and spent a good hour searching for her. He came up empty; she was gone.


	3. Fate Reveals it's Hand

CH. 3

Fate reveals it's hand…

Serena spent the rest of the weekend being torn between thoughts of Deemond and of her dark knight. Her time spent with her mystery man had served her well, it kept her thoughts off of her almost rape, but not enough to keep them out of her dreams. Every time she closed her eyes she would see them; first Deemond on top of her, sneering, then her dreams turned to her knight, caressing and caring for her. It created a strange concoction of feelings that had her very confused about herself and the man. She was pretty sure she was suffering from some form of PTSD. Deemonds cold eyes haunted her thoughts almost as much as the kiss with her dark knight.

She finally gave up on sleep and sat down at her piano and wrote. Monday came all too soon for her but at least it helped get her mind off of both of them. She hadn't said a word about the incidents to either Mina or Amy. It was because she didn't want to worry them but also because she knew saying it out loud would make it all too real.

Apparently, Mina had a bit more to drink than she had that night because she was still so clearly hung over it was comical. She laid across the counter, pathetically, cursing Serena.

"This doesn't even make sense?! Were you hungover at all?"

Serena giggled at her. "No, but I didn't drink nearly as much as you did!"

Springing up, Mina looked her in the eyes, "Hey, where did you go that night? Amy and I looked for you for an hour?!"

Serena looked down at her bruised wrist, unable to bear her questioning stare, as her eyes welled up with tears that she quickly tried to hide. Mina grabbed her shoulder, turned her around and caught a glimpse of her wrist.

"Serena? Oh my God, what happened to your wrist?! Are you okay?"

The conversation she'd been dreading was finally upon her. "Deemond found me that night. He was drunk...you know what? No. I will not make excuses for him. That asshole dragged me off to a private room. He tried to...he almost..."

She was trying so hard to be brave, telling herself to just get it out and over with. The tears still fell, even as she told herself that it wasn't a big deal and that she was stronger than this.

She didn't fight Mina as she pulled her into a fierce hug. "I am so sorry, Serena! I should have been there. I shouldn't have made you go! We should call the cops!"

"No, no. It's okay. It's not your fault and I'm fine...really, besides, if we call the cops, I'm afraid we would get him in trouble."

Mina pulled away at the word 'him', searching her eyes and looking as though she could read her mind and see her memories.

"A man, huh?"

Serena nodded her head and blushed, thankful to be focusing on anything other than Deemond. Lita rushed out of the kitchen, her radar tingling.

"Serena met a guy?! Aw, I miss everything!"

Mina wore a sad smile on her face. "That's okay, Lita. Amy and I missed everything, too."

Lita leaned onto the counter, settling in for girl talk. "Okay, tell us everything. What's his name? What does he look like? Are you going to see him again?"

"I...I don't know his name," her blush was threatening to burn her face off at their shocked expressions, "He has dark hair and deep blue eyes. I don't know if I'll see him again. We didn't even exchange names, let alone numbers." The two of them looked at her with confusion, she really never did things like this. "I guess we were just meant to have that one...MAGICAL moment in time."

Serena sighed wistfully at the memory while the other two sighed in disappointment at their friend's continued dry spell. All three were pulled out of their thoughts when a banging on the glass doors woke them up.

"Oops! Guess it's time to open up!" Mina gave her a pat on her shoulder, flashing her another sad but loving smile, as she left to open the doors.

Amy entered a little later, also hung-over-less, much to Mina's chagrin, and Serena began to prepare her order.

"Hey, Serena? Do you remember what you did Friday with my order?"

A laugh escaped her. "You mean save your butt?"

Amy looked uneasy. "Yes, and let me say thank you again for that...but did you do something different to the americano?"

Serena looked at her friend blankly for a second when it dawned on her, "Oh crap, I forgot the extra shots!"

"Yeah, my boss noticed. Like I said, he's nice but serious. He said if it's messed up again, you would lose his business. I really appreciate what you did for me and I really like you as a person, so that's why I'm telling you. I know how important his business is to..."

Her anger burned her throat. "Oh yeah? It's important, alright."

The nerve of this guy! Some big honcho who made poor Amy come and complain to her! She had done him a huge favor. Well, it had really been a favor for Amy, but still. She'd never received a complaint and she would be damned if she let some walking suit with a small dick desecrate all over her perfect record.

"His americano is black, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

She played innocent, hoping to calm Amy's nerves. "Oh, I just want to make absolutely sure I get it perfect this time."

Once Amy was out of eyesight, she quickly added about twenty pumps of sugar syrup, or she assumed it was twenty; she'd lost count somewhere after ten. Afterwards, she added a little note to the cup. Just a little message to sweeten it up a little more.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Darien had been trying to read one small section of a brief for the past 15 minutes and it still made no sense to him. He slammed the paper down on his desk and tried to fight off his forming headache by squeezing his temples. The blonde from Friday night had been running rampant through his mind since the moment she'd left him. Why hadn't he asked for her name or something that he could use to find her?! And, dammit, it was just one kiss! Maybe that was it, being left high and dry, along with the sheer mystery of her, was causing him to dwell on the blonde more than he should. However, he wasn't sure which was worse, that he was craving her or mystified by her because either one meant a lot more restless days and sleepless nights.

Amy had left his coffee on his desk for him but he had yet to touch it. Maybe I just need more coffee. I'm just over tired, that's all. He took a sip and then promptly spit it out across his desk. He looked closer, only to find a message carefully written on his cup.

Thanks for your important business, ASSHOLE!

"AMY!"

She entered quickly, looking worried at the sight of coffee all over his desk. "Oh no..."

He nodded his head, reading her mind and confirming her fears for her little coffee shop and its irritating barista.

"Where is that coffee shop located?"

Amy pleaded with him to let her handle it, but he didn't even hear her. He was too busy seeing red and the only thing that would calm him would be to teach this...Serena Sparrow…. a lesson.

What if he had been diabetic? Her actions could have killed him! At the very least, it could have landed him in the hospital. Hell, he wasn't diabetic but he was still reeling from the sugar high she had forced upon him. No, she needed to be punished for this for sure. Or else, she would never learn, now would she?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She didn't know what the part-time staff had done this weekend but all of her equipment was extremely dirty. The espresso machine had dried caked on milk and grinds all over it. The new investors were due to show up at any time now and if Andrew saw this, he would freak. She got a rag, grabbed a putty knife with a bowl of warm soapy water and, at the first lull of the day, she went to work.

It was a nice distraction. "Don't worry, Beatrice. I'll get you back to shining glory in no time."

Mina just stood by the counter, eating gummy bears while she watched her scrub, "I still think it's weird that you named the espresso machine."

"Well, look at her. She's so big and beautiful. She needs a name!" Mina just raised her eyebrows at her comment. "Well, she will be pretty when I get done with her."

Mina had been watching her all day, waiting for any sign of pain, trouble, or a breakdown. She was doing better now, though, and she told Mina that getting it off her chest had weakened Deemond's hold on her.

She had only just started scrubbing when she heard the sound of a man clearing his throat in an agitated manner behind her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The place looked a lot nicer than he'd expected. It wasn't a large space, but they had made good use of it. There were deep, plush armchairs and loveseats along the walls with small tables beside them. A small stage sat in one corner across from the big tinted windows that let in just enough light but didn't let others see in from outside. There were small round tables scattered about with chairs surrounding them. The wall next to the stage was lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves that were overflowing with books. Each table had a small but fresh bouquet of flowers on them and the whole place was made up of deep colors like blues, greens, and purples.

It was comfortable and, at any other time, he would have found it appealing but he'd come here on a mission. He found the espresso machine, so that was a good start. The girl at the register just stared at him, proving herself to be unhelpful. He assumed the girl scrubbing the damn machine, ignoring him, was Serena Sparrow. He cleared his throat to get her attention but she didn't turn around.

"Are you Serena Sparrow?"

"That's me!" She answered, still engrossed in her task, as she bent over, determinedly focussed on a chunk of white that was stuck to her machine.

"You made my coffee for me this morning."

She still hadn't turned around and she either missed his tone or she ignored it.

"Oh, well, you're welcome!"

He was starting to seeth now, trying to reign in his temper as much as possible. "I don't think we've met. I'm Amy's boss."

That did it. She froze, but only for a second, and continued what she was doing. Her shoulders started to shake slightly.

"Did you enjoy your coffee this morning?"

She was laughing! He could hear it in her, arguably, lovely voice.

"You know damn well I didn't. Are you trying to lose my business?"

"I always try to chase off any customers who are complete dick-wads!"

Darien looked to the other girl behind the counter but she had defiantly crossed her arms as if to agree with this crazy woman, even though it was pretty clear she didn't know the full story. This woman, who although had an attractive figure and beautiful long, blonde hair, was exacerbating. Her tight denim capris accentuated her thick hips and thin legs while a ridiculously large, tie-dyed shirt hung provocatively off one of her lovely little shoulders.

"Do you have any clue who I am?!"

"Look, I don't care who ASSHOLES are..."

Finally, she turned around, revealing herself to him. There they were face to face, with those bright, blue eyes that had been haunting him for days staring up at him. Everything suddenly stopped.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Everything froze; herself included. Of all the coffee shops in New York….. She couldn't move, couldn't think. In a city of millions, Amy's boss was the same man who had come to her rescue a few nights ago. Nice but serious. By the looks of him, he was most definitely both. She suddenly felt the urge to rustle his perfect hair and cut off his tie. He looked so different from the night they'd met and, yet, exactly the same. It was his eyes; they were undeniable.

Everyone must have been staring at them, what with the show they had put on just a few minutes ago. Her brain began to work again but in slow motion.

"You..."

She knew she sounded stupid but she was seriously lucky to have gotten that much out. Her mind, mouth, and body had turned to mush. Andrew showed up out of nowhere and pulled her back into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled in as much of a whisper as he could manage.

"What?" she was still in shock, looking at him through the kitchen window as he stared right back at her.

Andrew was sweating bullets, "I know we have our unspoken 'no assholes' rule but we do not yell at potential investors!"

Her daze was starting to fade. "What are you talking about?"

Andrew calmed a little, his breathing evened and sounded somewhat healthier. "You don't know, do you?" He slapped a hand on his forehead, "Aww, dammit Serena, I forgot you were gone when their company moved into town. That man you were just yelling at is Darien Shields."

"Darien SHIELDS?"

"Yes, as in Strom's Corp Golden Boy, as in possible investor, as in our future. I don't care what you do or how you do it, but I really need you to fix this."

Andrew left the kitchen and Serena tried not to completely lose it.

"Serena? What's going on?"

Lita had a worried look on her face, "That guy out front...is Darien Shields, Amy's boss."

"As in the inconsiderate jerk that you put enough sugar into his coffee to put him into sugar coma?!"

She nodded vigorously, her nerves making her over exaggerate. "Yep. He's also Andrew's big investor."

"Oh no!" Lita's hands flew up to her face, covering her mouth.

"It gets worse," now her heart was racing. "You know that guy I told you about from the club? That's him..."

Lita's hands fell and she had a blank look on her face as if it was all just too much. "Well, I can say this. Your life is never boring, Serena."

"What do I do?!"

"What do you mean? Kill two birds with one stone. Go out there and give him a big kiss!"

"I don't date customers." But she couldn't even convince herself with that one.

Lita's hands went to her hips, starting to get annoyed with her. "That's just what you tell, De-bag. You like this guy, don't you?"

"I thought I did before I found out he is some rich jackass going around terrorizing innocent baristas!"

"Serena, you are far from innocent."

Lita took a peek out the window at him, swooning as she did. "He looks good to me. And he is still waiting for you so hurry up and get out there."

Lita unceremoniously shoved her out the door and he stared at her with a small smirk on his face. She didn't know if she wanted to smack or kiss that smug look off of his face. She took a deep breath. Time to pay the piper. The costs of her deeds scared her the most.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He wasn't sure what made him happier; that he'd found her or that she wasn't, in fact, a figment of his imagination. She walked back over to him with a calm, blank look on her face. It was adorable. She looked so different from the night he'd seen her last and it made him wonder which version was the real her. If he played his cards right, he might get to find out.

"I am very sorry, sir. Let me make whatever you want, on me."

"I don't want any coffee."

She fidgeted nervously and his heart started to pound in his chest. "Okay, what do you want then?"

It was just too easy. "I want you to go out with me."

"I don't date customers." She stated it so flatly like it was a mantra that she was trying to tell herself more than him.

"You didn't seem to mind the other night."

Fire flared in her eyes. "I didn't know who you were! YOU didn't tell me."

"Most people know who I am. Besides, I didn't really get a chance between saving you, your tongue down my throat, and you running away."

He couldn't tell if her irritation with him was for her benefit or if she really was pissed at him. Either way, he found it hot. The fire he had seen in her the other night had returned. So if he was the cause, for whatever reason, he would take it and run. She moved to clear some tables, trying to get away from him. But like hell he was going to let her slip away from him again. He sat at a table that was right in front of her station. Where else could she go? She ignored him and continued to scrub the gunk off the espresso machine, a show he enjoyed quite a bit. Finally, she turned and walked over to his table.

Her face had softened significantly and she talked in a hushed whisper, "Please don't take…," she pointed back and forth between them, "this...out on my boss. He's a really good man who works hard and really deserves this."

"Oh, I know that. I haven't changed my mind about investing."

Her face lit up, "You haven't?!"

"No, and I haven't changed my mind about you either."

She started to walk away again, but he grabbed one of her wrists before she could far. She let out a hiss of pain and he released her instantly. He hadn't grabbed her that hard, had he? He grabbed her again, this time taking her hand and pulling her wrist into the light and into view. There, on her delicate pale wrists, were angry, finger-shaped bruises. His anger boiled again, but he swallowed it, remembering her fear the last time he'd lost it in front of her. Instead, he gently kissed them and she let out a small gasp.

"He was lucky I didn't kill him."

Her hand flexed around his, "Thank you, for saving me."

Going for broke, he looked into her large blue eyes, "Go out with me. Tonight."

For a second, she looked like she might give in, "No...No I can't. Not tonight. I have plans."

"Change them. I want to see you tonight."

He still held her hand and she didn't pull away, standing before him as she ruminated over the idea.

"I don't care what we do. I just want to see you."

"You don't care huh?" She let out a sigh and he knew he'd won. "Alright. Just meet me here seven-o-clock. Don't be late!"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Feeling very much like a winner, he placed a soft kiss on both of her hands and headed for the door. He took one last glance back at her before he lost her as he walked out the door. He'd never needed to fight for a date that hard in his life, but he needed to find out what was drawing him to her; infatuation, curiosity, more, or all of the above.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Her hands were still shaking long after he'd left, her mind still reeling over the huge mistake she had just made. She silently cursed his eyes, deep and blue, making her say whatever he wanted to hear, even after fighting them for so long. She was so preoccupied with her nervous thoughts about tonight that she didn't even notice that both Lita and Mina were staring at her as she almost ran into them.

Lita had a smirk on her lips while Mina looked upset. "What?"

"What the hell was that?"

"Serena found her dark knight!" Lita smirked.

Mina hated being left out, "What?! That was him?! Oh, Serena you weren't kidding, he is beyond gorgeous!"

"...he is Darien Shields."

"...WHAT!"

"Shhhhh...Mina! People are staring."

The blonde was almost hyperventilating, "Serena, I don't think you understand. He is one of the richest men in the world."

Her heart sank into her stomach. "Seriously? Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"No, Serena. Neither I nor Lita will let you break this date!"

She narrowed her eyes at the two of them, "Come on, you two. A guy like that? And a girl like me? Please, this is just a hookup for him."

"So?!" Lita's outburst surprised both of them. "You need it! Seriously, Serena. If you keep this up, they will have to pry your legs apart at your next gyno visit."

Throwing her hands up over her mouth, she violently tried to hush the tall woman. "Lita! People know me here!"

Mina just laughed. "So where are you two going on this 'date'?"

It was clear that her 'date', had now turned into meaningless sex in Mina's mind. "Well, it's not really a date. I invited him to come back here."

A frustrated sigh came from the brunette. "Oh, Serena, that's not very romantic."

"What else could I do Lita? He wanted to meet tonight and it's my night." She was starting to get tired of this already. What did it matter if he was just going to try and bang her and leave?

"Oh yeah! That's right! Well, that's even better!"

Now her head was starting to pound in rhythm with her heart, "How is that better Mina?"

"Cause what man wouldn't fall in love with your beautiful voice!"

Serena clocked out at six and went into the bathroom to change. She put on a halter maxi dress with a v-neckline and a cord that she tied around her neck. It was made of a pink, blue, purple, and orange madras print on a silky material. It was one of her favorite dresses because it was bright and it made her boobs look amazing! She slipped on some purple flip-flops and took out the braid in her hair to put in up in a messy bun.

I guess this is as good as it's going to get.

Mina left to go home and change. Lita was going to come with her husband, Nick, Serena's drummer. Amy was supposed to come tonight too. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, given that her 'date' that was due to show up any minute now. With the realization that no matter how long she stared at her reflection, it was never going to change, she left the safety of the employee bathroom.

She shut the door behind her, immediately regretting her decision to leave the bathroom when she saw Deemond stomped right over to her. She was frozen, all of the fear and anxiety from that night and afterward coming back, hitting her like a ton of bricks. It was all she could do to breathe.

Without breaking his stride, he walked up and backhanded her across the face. The force across her cheekbone pushed so hard that it felt like her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. It felt as though her eardrums had burst as her ears began to ring loudly and blocked out most of the other sounds around her. The combination of her fear, the force of his hit, and the pain had her falling to the floor in front of him.

The part-timers that came in at night were stunned. They didn't know what to do as this crazed man yelled at her. A few of her fans had stumbled onto the scene but she didn't want them involved. It looked like they were going to jump him, but she managed to wave them off, her scattered brain able to comprehend that much at least.

He was towering over her, yelling something, but her ears were still buzzing from the slap. She could see, through her tear-blurred vision, that he still had a bad bruise on his chin. It made her smile to remember Darien giving him that punch. Smiling wasn't a good choice because he grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her, which was not good for the headache that was quickly beginning to form behind her injured eye. It did help her ears pop so she could finally hear what he was saying.

"You think it's funny? You think ruining me is funny, you stupid cow!?"

Everything was a stilted blur and she was only able to focus on one thing at a time. Her heart was in her throat, making it impossible to speak even if she could form words. He raised his hand to slap her again, and she prepared herself, closing her eyes and shrinking as much as possible but the hit never came. She slowly opened her eyes to see another man holding Deemond's arm, still in mid-slap. His back was to her and she couldn't quite focus enough to figure him out.

Deemond looked nervous. "Look, I just wanted to get her to explain that it was all a misunderstanding."

The hand removed itself from Deemond's wrist. 'No! Don't let him go, it wasn't a misunderstanding. Don't listen to him!' She really wished she could speak.

The man grabbed Deemond by his collar and lifted him up and towards the door just as Andrew emerged from his office and rushed to her side. He put his hands on her, causing her to jump, which was something he didn't miss either.

"Oh my God, Serena, your eye! What the hell happened!?"

"A piece of trash, that I did not properly handle last night, hit her."

Oh God, it was Darien! He was the one who had handled Deemond and he had seen the display just now. She was beyond mortified that he had to save her again.

"He did WHAT?!" Andrew stood quickly as if to go after him, but Darien stopped him and she grabbed onto Andrew to keep him from trying again. "I'm calling the cops."

"I've handled him. He shouldn't be a problem again. Plus...if you call them now...I might be arrested for assault."

Darien stooped down in front of her and tenderly inspected her cheek. "Can you stand?"

Giving him a weak nod, Darien and Andrew helped her up. Her face burned and her head throbbed, still feeling a bit out of it. Andrew looked at her again, her face fully lit now.

"Oh God, Serena. I'm going to get you some ice, okay?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Andrew left and he helped her to a seat, crouching before her and keeping her close. She'd shut down again, the fire in her eyes a dim spark. As gently as he could, he cupped her face, the sheer act of it sending electricity down his arms. Her eyes went wide, as wide as they could given the circumstances. He lifted her face upwards towards the light. Her eye was definitely swelling and turning black. The sight of it was making it really hard for him not to go after Deemond and kill him this time. If he thought a broken nose was bad, just wait.

"How bad is it?"

He looked back into her eyes and there were tears lingering and glistening in them. They looked like cerulean pools, just like the water in the Mexican Gulf; no matter what happened, she still remained a stunning beauty.

He stared at her. He didn't know for how long but she didn't say anything or move uncomfortably. He wasn't sure whether to tell her the truth or lie.

"It's not bad," he lied, a reflex for him when it came to women.

"You're lying. I can tell."

He was surprised, since he considered himself a good liar. "How can you tell?"

"If I tell you, then you will know your tell."

She managed a mischievous smile, making his heart race at her deviousness. "You still look beautiful. Am I lying now?"

She was silent as she looked away from him, pulling her face from his grasp and trying to hide her blush. It almost blended into her bruise, but he still caught it. He was relieved when Andrew returned with ice before anything else could be said, something about this woman made him act like a fool. He busied himself by taking in the place at night. There was quite a crowd for the act tonight and he knew, from doing his research, that this place had a live show every evening. It made him wonder who was performing tonight to have gathered such a large group.

He kept his ears trained on the two blondes next to him. "Serena, I think we should cancel the show. You should go home."

"NO! No, we can't cancel. Look at all the people that are already here, Andrew. They're expecting a show."

Now he was confused. "Isn't your shift over? Why do you have to stay for the show?"

"Because, Darien, she is the show. All of these people are here for her."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Serena placed the ice on her face and hissed as it touched her burning flesh. Her eyesight was her greatest concern at the moment, as she was having trouble seeing through her right eye. Honestly, she was afraid to look at it, fearing it would make her feel worse by knowing how bad it looked. She'd already seen most of it as it had been reflected in Darien's eyes as he tried to lie. He really wasn't a very good liar.

Mina arrived and freaked out when she saw her. In the middle of explaining what had happened, Lita showed up and she had to start over. Then Amy showed up. All the while, Darien sat across the table from her, amused by her frustration.

"Darien, why don't you fill your employee in on the whole story, while I take Serena to the bathroom to freshen up." Mina pulled her up from her chair and took her to the bathroom,

"Wow, Serena. He must really like you."

She shook her head, even as Mina's words caused her heart to skip a beat. "Guys like him don't go for girls like me."

Mina grimaced, "And what kind of girl is that?"

"Disorganized, sloppy, poor, unattractive and a 'nobody'."

"Serena, you are none of those things. Okay, maybe you're a little disorganized and you're not rich but you're beautiful, amazing, and a somebody! Now keep still so I can work!"

Amy stared at him, confused and surprised. He hadn't filled her in when he'd gone back to the office earlier and she had looked worried when he'd returned smiling. She'd probably thought that he had the place shut down or had Serena fired. The memory of her calling him an asshole brought a smile to his lips and how she'd continued to fight him, made him chuckle. Amy was looking at him like he'd gone insane and it forced him to focus and fill her in.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"She called you a what?!" Amy turned pale.

He waved her off. "Yeah, it's okay. Don't worry Amy, your coffee shop is safe."

"I didn't know she had done that to your coffee. I'm so sorry, sir."

He had no doubts about that, "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mina had performed a cosmetic miracle. You couldn't even tell she had been hit! She actually looked better than before she was smacked. With Deemond, Darien and the emotional roller coaster she was on, she was really starting to regret her 'no drinks before a performance' rule. This was definitely the most nerve-wracking performance she'd had in a long time. It reminded her of her first time.

There were a lot of new faces in the crowd tonight, it was possible that word was getting around about her. The only new face she was really nervous about was Darien's. His presence both settled and unnerved her. She felt safe with him here, from Deemond anyways, and that calmed her significantly. Every time she glanced at him, her heart did a flip-flop and started racing. How disappointed he must be to find out she was just a poor barista with a musical obsession.

Before she was really ready, it was, quite literally, time to face the music. She'd already set up her guitar and piano and Nick was setting up his drums. All they were waiting for was Andrew, who played guitar with them. He was actually really good, which had surprised Serena. When she had originally set this all up Andrew agreed to let her play if he could play with her. To her delight, he was a fantastic guitar player. She wondered where he'd kept all that talent hidden for all of these years. Apparently, he'd been taking classical guitar lessons in secret, which meant he really knew how to move those fingers. Lita offered up her husband's services as a drummer and then everything just fell into place. The three of them fit well together, Serena just handed them the music she written and by the time they were ready to play, they'd already mastered it.

Having the other two up there with her calmed her a bit, and she slipped into her usual routine; in part, because it calmed her but also because people were expecting it.

As usual, Andrew was dragging his feet. The regulars in the crowd were used to it, a few getting excited already, knowing what to expect from her. He would always wait until the last second to put down whatever spreadsheet he was looking at and join them. One would think that he'd his lesson by now, but he must be a masochist. The faces she recognized were already laughing, knowing what was next. Serena stood in front of the mic and began Andrew's usual intro. She told stories from their childhood, stories that Andrew didn't want anyone to ever know.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Serena stepped up to the mic, the crowd quieting instantly. "Okay, folks, so you wanna hear the story about our first camping trip?"

The crowd began to shout and clap. Darien didn't get it. He looked at Mina and Lita who were already laughing their asses off. Amy looked just as confused as him.

Mina leaned over towards them. "She does this every time. Andrew always takes his time getting up there!"

Darien watched as Serena did her best to hold herself together enough to tell her story.

"Okay, okay. So it was Mina, Andrew, and me on our first camping trip. We were 8, I think? And we had decided to go on a hike. Well, halfway up Andrew disappears to go use the bathroom. Mina and I didn't think much of it till later that night. We were all in the tent together trying to sleep when Andrew would not stop wiggling around. When Mina and I had had enough we turned on our flashlights to see Andrew scratching his ass furiously. See, he had 'wiped' earlier that day with poison oak leaves...oh hello Andrew, we were just talking about you!"

Andrew appeared on the stage, a little too late to save his dignity and blushing furiously. He leaned into his mic and denied the whole thing, but when his back was turned Serena got Mina to silently collaborate her story. Darien hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. Once Serena and Andrew had settled, the concert was ready to begin. Serena sat at the piano, mic turned so she could play and sing at the same time.

"Any requests?"

A few people started to shout out names to songs that he did not recognize. When she heard one she liked, she thanked the man, by name, and her fingers began to move elegantly across the keys. Darien didn't recognize the name of the song the man had shouted out but once she began to play, he recognized the melody. It was an upbeat tune, one his maid played sometimes when she was cleaning on the weekends. He had liked the tune so he never said anything to her. Then Serena began to sing.

 

He hadn't expected her to be this good. Sure, he expected her to have some talent. All of these people couldn't be here just cause she was pretty. Half of them were couples! Just her playing talents alone were impressive. She made it look so easy and her fingers looked like they barely touched the keys. Her voice was clear and pure like church bells. His heart was racing and his palms began to sweat. It was like he was a teenage boy with his first porno mag or something.

He managed to pull his eyes from the angel in front of him to look around at the crowd. He wanted to see if it was just him, that his attraction to her was exaggerating her talents. The faces around the room were just as enamored by her as he was. Even Amy had a shocked look on her face as her friend poured her soul into every note and word.

The crowd continued to shout out requests, some people just shouted out names of artists and once Serena heard one she liked, she picked a song by them. Andrew and the drummer picked some songs too and even sang with Serena on a lot of the songs. The three seemed to work really well together; it was quite impressive for a coffee shop band that only played once a week. Some songs he did recognize from the maid's radio when she worked, but then about half of them he didn't. She switched back and forth from piano to guitar. When they were in between songs, he worked his way over to Mina.

"Am I really old and out of it? I only recognize about half of these songs."

She shot him a smirk, "That's cause Serena wrote half of them. That's what she does."

Just then, the drummer and Andrew got up from the stage and took a break, but Serena stayed and picked up a lonely guitar. She sat at the front of the stage and set the mic up right in front of her.

Mina became a bit giddy at the sight. "Oh see, this is when she plays her new song. She does this every time."

"Okay everybody, tell me what you think of this one!"

Before she even started, everyone began to applaud to encourage her. She looked right at him, then blushed as she began her song.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It had finally come to that time of night. The time when she revealed her new song. The only problem was that it was a song she wrote about her dark knight right after they had met; before she had "poisoned" his coffee, before she knew his name, before he knew who she was… This was going to be embarrassing but it was the only new song she had and she couldn't break tradition. Just don't look at him. Why did you look at him?! Ug, this is embarrassing! Just play, just play and get it over with! As her fingers slid over the guitar, she lost herself in the music. Music always calmed her.

The song seemed to settle across the crowd. They were silent as they took in all that she gave them. Darien didn't even realize he was holding his breath and he had to force himself to breathe normally. The crowd still hadn't moved but it didn't seem to bother Serena. She just watched him, gauging his reaction. She kept her eyes on him till the crowd burst into applause. It was almost deafening after the silence. Darien looked over to see Amy had a few tears rolling down her face. So did Mina. But they were all clapping. He felt eyes on him and found her watching him again. He gave her a standing ovation.

The whole performance lasted two hours and after that Serena went around talking to her fans. It was just him, Mina, Lita, Nick the drummer, Amy, Andrew and his wife Rita at a table talking about the show and having a good time with some beer.

Amy kept looking at him in shock any time he laughed or joined in the conversation. Having only ever seen him with the people his father was always introducing him to, she had never seen him have a good time. All the people he met and the parties he was forced to go to were dry and boring. He, himself, was having trouble remembering the last time he'd had a good time like this. Having conversations about things other than mergers and acquisitions was always fun.

"Serena! Oh, you were amazing as usual!" Lita alerted him to her presences and was squeezing the poor girl to death, but quickly released her and went back to squeezing her husband.

Mina bumped her with her hip and gave her a wink, "Yeah, that new song was really great. It had Amy and me in tears. I can't help but wonder what your inspiration was for that song?"

Darien looked to see Serena was blushing again and avoiding eye contact. He could barely handle it. She was the most beautiful and captivating creature he'd ever met and he wasn't sure if he was ready for such a woman.

The group continued to drink and laugh even after the place closed for the night. Everyone started to break up and head out at around eleven, leaving Serena and Darien alone on the street together.


	4. Hellooooo Lovers

CH. 4

Helllooooo Lover…

The whole night, her friends had been incorrigible. They were so obvious with their little looks and not so subtle hints of Serena's feelings towards Darien. Especially, when they all decided to leave! She was so embarrassed when Mina cleared her throat and gave them "the signal". Serena knew "the signal"; she and Mina had made it up!

So now the impossible had happened. She was actually alone with him on the streets of New York. Had she wanted this, to be alone with a guy, it would never happen. The streets were usually packed with people but somehow, they were the only ones in sight. Maybe because it was 11:15 on a Monday night but this was still freaking NYC!

There was a part of her that did want to be alone with him, but the other part felt like it was a mistake. Even if he was interested in her, it was a passing fancy. Her little research session of him through Google had led her to the LONG list of women that he had dated. He was even in pictures with some of them and they were all very beautiful and sophisticated. She'd never questioned herself this much when it came to the men she dated. She was a fairly self-confident person but her desire to be with Darien and her lack of…'appropriate' qualities was making her second guess everything. She was nothing like the women in the pictures with him.

She suddenly felt a blanket of warmth cover her. She must have been staring off into space because she didn't even notice that he had taken off his jacket till it was around her shoulders. She didn't even notice that she'd been shivering in the early summer night. She took in the sight of him. In the orange glow of the street lamps above he looked like he Greek god.

There was no denying that he was sexy, in or out of a suit, as now he wore khaki slacks and a tight, white shirt that showed off all of his chest. Nope, no suit required for this one.

"You want to get out of here?"

She was a bit surprised he didn't want to end their "date" here. She expected him to be running away by now. There was no way he was serious. He was just playing a game. So she made her next move. She would take him to the only place that she knew would have him calling 'Uncle'.

"Yeah, sure. Wanna go to my place?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

She lived on the top floor of an eighth-floor walk up. He guessed by her stamina that she'd lived here for quite a while. He was very thankful, in that moment, for his morning workouts. The hallway was dark with cream-colored carpets and dark burgundy walls. He was already afraid to see the condition of her apartment just by the looks of the stairwell and hallways. The carpet was worn, frayed and holed with dark stains that were very suspicious. The walls had cracks that ran along the apartment doors.

When she turned on the lights, however, the difference was like night and day. It was a small studio apartment but it was very bright and open. It was filled with pale yellows, bright pinks, and whites. The floors were a light colored hardwood and she had put a white, shag area rug in her bedroom area. There were bright pink sheets that adorned her queen sized bed with a small, funky bedside table that housed an alarm clock and another small lamp on one side. Just next to the small table was a little door that he guessed was her bathroom. She had painted the wall behind the bed with a stencil that reminded him of the tiles in Morocco. There were golds, pinks, greens and yellows that swirled around one another in large medallions all the way up and down the wall.

Her kitchen was made up of yellows, except for one area of the wall that had been turned into a large chalkboard. It was covered with notes written by her and from others, little messages filled with love along with a few phone numbers. A tiny table sat in the middle that appeared to serve as a workstation and an eating area.

In the middle of the whole apartment, she'd made a little living room area off of her bedroom that had a loveseat and two overstuffed armchairs that faced a small TV on the wall across from them. Neither of the three pieces matched but somehow they still went together. Next to her living room was a small upright piano that was littered with sheet music. He took in the whole place as she turned on lamps and tried to quickly straighten up around her apartment. It felt warm and comfortable even though the place was the size of his bedroom alone.

She set down her guitar next to the piano and turned to him expectantly. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think this place fits you. It's exactly what I expected"

She pursed her lips, a small pout forming. "What, you mean small and a cluttered mess?"

"No, I mean bright and warm."

She seemed surprised and a little disappointed. What did she expect him to say? Was what he said that bad? She walked past him to her fridge and grabbed two beers. He made himself busy by studying her large chalkboard as she handed him his drink and stood beside him.

"So, what? Do people leave their mark here when they stop by?"

She glanced at him, apparently, she liked that. "Exactly. Some people leave messages, others leave artwork."

He admired the works of art on her wall. Many were just doodles and misshaped creatures but then there were ones that were quite good. One was a tree that had amazing detail up the trunk on the bark. It was like a seperate drawing within the base of the tree. Then the leaves fanned out, swirling and dancing across the top of the board. The second was a pair of hands, holding onto one another, wrinkled and aged, but he could strangely feel the love between them even though they were just hands made of chalk.

"I really like those two," he said pointing at the art works.

"Oh…..I did those two."

He turned to her, surprise mixed with confusion etched on his face. "Who are you?"

She giggled, "I'm Serena Sparrow, remember?"

"One minute you're poisoning strangers' coffees and the next your…..wooing strangers to tears with your voice."

She took her eyes back to the board, avoiding his. "Well I make coffee to pay the bills and I dabble in the arts."

"You do more than dabble. Have you ever made money off your works?"

"No, but that is the plan. Someday..."

They stood there for a few moments in comfortable silence. His mind and heart was racing like he was a child, trying to figure this girl out. He focused on looking at the board, trying to rid his head and heart of the inner turmoil inside, reading the messages left by her friends. Some read like they were from lovers which made him a bit jealous. It sent him reeling again. He still barely knew this girl and already he was willing to go to battle for her. He already had twice. He found that he liked everything he learned about her, but that didn't explain it.

He heard the clink of her bottle hitting the counter. Next thing he knew, she had her small hand around his wrist and gently placed it against an empty spot on the chalkboard. She took a piece of chalk and delicately traced around his hand. Her little fingers slid across the flesh on his hand, sending small shivers up his arm and all the way to his spine. It caused his heart to jump around wildly and his breath hitched in his chest. He was losing this battle and fast. It took only a minute, and when she removed her hand from his he found himself disappointed.

"There. Now you have a mark here too."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He was staring at her. Maybe tracing his hand had been silly. She certainly felt silly for doing it now. His eyes were dark, hard to read and pulling her in as they had so many times already. He moved closer to her and raised his hand to her face. He gently stroked her skin till he hit her sore spot. She pulled away with a hiss, breaking the moment, giving herself a reprieve that she was very thankful for. She could feel his eyes on her as she made her way to the living room away from him. Bringing him here had been a mistake; it was not working how she expected at all.

When she finally looked at him again, guilt covered his face. "I'm sorry. Does it still hurt?"

"No, not as bad."

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid he came after you because of me."

She shook her head hard. "You?! What did you do besides give him a well-deserved punch in the face?"

"I was there on business. Deemond wanted my company to invest in his expansion. But after I saw what he did to you, I told him there was no way in hell we would ever put our name with his."

They stood there, just looking at each other. The silence was thick in the air but she didn't feel uncomfortable. It was more like foreplay. The tension between them seemed to be growing. Did he end business with someone for her? She hardly felt worth it, but Deemond deserved it. And it made sense. Who would want to align themselves with a rapist? He didn't do it for you, silly. He did it cause it made good sense! She needed to get out of here, away from her tiny apartment that mainly housed her bed behind her.

"Want to see the roof?"

"Sure."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

She stepped out onto her fire escape and climbed up to the roof. He enjoyed the view before even making it to the top as she climbed in front of him. Even with her loose dress around her hips, he still got glimpses of the body beneath as she gathered the material to make her ascent. This is what you are here for, remember? To figure her out and get her out of your system!

The roof was clearly a common space. It had a grill and a few tables and chairs scattered about. There were large string lights that zig zagged above them across the roof connected to the walls of taller, neighboring buildings. She stood at the edge of the roof and looked out at the skyline. It twinkled out before her in the night sky. A breeze blew strings of fallen hair around her face. He suddenly forgot what he was here for again. When he didn't join her right away, she turned to look for him and caught him staring.

A flush raged her face. "What? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong."

She let out a nervous giggle, "Then what are you doing?"

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

Silenced, she blushed a bright red and lowered her face in an attempt to hide from his gaze. He closed the gap between them in a few steps and lifted her chin to face him again.

"Do you think I'm lying?"

She shook his hold and put some distance between them again. "Look I brought you here to make you see."

"Make me see what?"

"That I am wrong for you! I'm a nobody, Darien! I'm nobody special. I'm not rich or sophisticated. I'm not your type! That girl you met at that club isn't me. She doesn't own the dress she was in or anything even close to it. Look around, Darien. You don't belong here. You shouldn't be here; you shouldn't be with me."

Something squeezed at his heart and he reached out, grabbing her before she slipped away. "Did I ever say that any of that mattered to me? Or that "rich sophisticated women" were my type?"

She pulled away, running from him again. "You didn't. Google did it for you."

He laughed and moved towards her, slower this time. "Oh, so you Googled me, huh?"

"Yes, I wanted to make sure you didn't drink people's blood!" she said with a stubborn air, trying to hide.

He took two slow steps towards her and she turned her back to him. Her shoulders flexed and he couldn't take his eyes off her skin. Tiny hairs graced the base of her neck, daring him kiss it all over. He wanted, more than anything, to see more; to rip his jacket off her shoulders and take her flesh in with his eyes and his mouth.

"So you are interested in me? You want to get to know me?"

He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair, unable to control himself any longer. She was interested in him. There was no denying it now; she was his for the taking. She gasped and turned rigid at first but in a few seconds she melted in his arms. He kissed her soft skin along the hair at her neck, then slid his jacket off of her shoulders to gain more access. Her skin was warm and sweet and she smelled lightly of lavender and lilies.

When he reached the end of her shoulder, he returned to her ear and whispered, "I want to get to know you too," surprising himself at finding just how true those words were as they left his lips.

He spun her around to face him, slipped his jacket all the way off her and threw it on a nearby chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he claimed her lips with his. Shock waves went through his body just as they had the night before. He lifted her small body, carried her to a loveseat, laying her down before him. He trailed hot kisses down her chin and throat. She groaned and arched in response, only feeding his desire.

He continued down her chest as his hands found its way to her beautiful breast. He was pleased to find that she wasn't wearing a bra. He took them into his hands, enjoying how they filled them completely and rubbed them till he felt her nipples perk in response. He leaned down and placed his mouth over them through the fabric of her dress. She gasped and moaned, her body wriggling beneath him and he wanted more.

He tugged at the string at the base on her neck and it came undone with ease. He pulled her breast free and continued to suck and tease them. Her tiny fingers knotted themselves into his hair. She pulled gently, opening and closing her hands into fists in a vain attempt to control herself. He smiled against her skin, happy to be driving her as crazy as she was making him.

He pressed himself against her through his now tight jeans. The fabric was rough and was begging him to release himself. He placed a hand on her bare thigh and pushed the skirt of her dress up to her stomach. The fabric pooled around them as he pressed two fingers against the wet spot in her panties. She let out a loud groan before he covered her mouth with his. Their tongues danced together in a pleasurable waltz as he stroked her through her underwear. He pushed the fabric to the side and slipped two fingers in between her wet folds. She was warm and wet and he wanted more than anything to be inside her.

Out of nowhere, she pushed him off of her and quickly stood, holding the top of her dress against herself. She paused for a second, looking at him with wild eyes. She hastily made her way to the fire escape, leaving the roof before he had a chance to regain himself and follow after her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Her breath was wild like her heart. What was she doing? This was not like her. She didn't sleep with men on the first date. It wasn't even a date! Yet here she was, trying to cool herself down and stop herself from racing back up to that roof and finish what they'd started. This was not how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to see her apartment, see her in the real light and not the haze of the darkened club. Now, they were acting like they were one and the same.

He'd said she was beautiful! What the hell was wrong with him? Was he drunk? She paced her apartment, re-tying her dress as she walked, trying to figure out what to do and where it had all gone wrong. She turned as he entered her window, but he didn't say a word. She stood in her kitchen, feeling like it was much safer than standing in her bedroom, even though there was hardly much distance between the rooms to make much of a difference.

It was dark in her bedroom and she couldn't make out his face. She couldn't tell if he was mad that she'd left him high and dry like that and she was frozen under his gaze. He began to move towards her and she felt like she was a gazelle while he was the lion, stalking her into the kitchen. When the light touched his face, his expression was not what she had expected. His eyes were dark with desire but his face looked sad and guilty. Maybe if she had prepared herself for his reaction, she would have been able to resist it. She had expected mad or even seething, not guilt and sadness. Was he sad because she'd pulled away or had he finally come to his senses?

"I'm sorry, maybe I should go," but he didn't move as he continued to hold her gaze.

This was not what she had planned; she'd never experienced anything quite like this, so she wasn't prepared for his reaction. Maybe that's why it happened.

She raced to him and he met her halfway, crushing their bodies together. It felt like they hadn't touched in years even though it had only been a few minutes. She unbuttoned his pants, shoving his underwear with them to the floor, watching him spring to life, freed from his denim prison. Their lips parted so they could take off his shirt and with a quick hand, he roughly pulled the strings of her dress, releasing it to fall at her feet. His mouth went to hers again while his hands slowly went down her sides. His thumbs brushed her breast but continued their journey down till they slipped into her panties and pushed them to the floor. His hands went to her buttocks, squeezing them, then lifting her up. Her legs instinctively went around his waist as he stepped out of his pants and shoes then carried her to the bed.

She flinched, hard, a dream of tripping or something causing her to wake but something wasn't right. Looking around, she was in her apartment, but something was different. A breath washed across her neck and shoulder, causing her to turn quickly to find the source. His face was inches from hers, his arm wrapped around her waist, the two of them a tangled mess of limbs. She was naked and so was he. Her mind registered the soreness in her legs, arms, and most importantly, in between her legs. It all came rushing back; they had slept together. Part of her hoped it was all a dream, a hot and very pleasurable dream. It wasn't though, it was real. Uncertain of just what to do, she watched him as his eyes danced behind his eyelids. He was dreaming.

Certain she could sneak away and find some clothes, she began the task of slipping out from under his grasp. As carefully as possible, she lifted his arm up an inch or two, planning on sliding out from under it, but then the arm came to life, slapping back down to her flesh and holding tight,

His voice was still heavy with sleep, "You're awake?"

Hers came out as a whisper, as if she were afraid, "Yes."

"Good."

He pulled her back to him, his mouth finding her neck as he rolled her towards him and buried his face in her flesh. She couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her as the stubble on his chin tickled her. The tickle quickly changed to something else, desire building inside of her again and a moan escaped her lips. Flipping her onto her back, her hands were pressed into the mattress above her head. She knew she shouldn't, because this was not love making, but she looked him in his eyes. They were looking right back at her. The air caught in her throat at how dark they were, feeling as if they pierced right through her. They began to dance, roaming around her face. His hands were still on her wrist, holding himself above her while his hips and legs were between hers. His thumbs stroked her skin, slowly moving up and threading his finger through hers before lowering his mouth to hers.

She sat up, quickly smacking her alarm to death. Darien's limp arm laid across her lap, having fallen from her waist, still fast asleep. How could he sleep through that noise? She was finding it hard not lay back down next to him and slip back into nothingness. Neither of them had gotten much sleep last night. It was the questions rolling around her head that kept her from snuggling up to him. What did he want from her? From 'them'? Would she even see him again after this? Why was he still here?! Last night had been amazing, certainly the best she had ever had but she had screwed up and slept with him way too soon. No way he was going to stick around any longer than necessary. So in a way, her plan had worked, but it had cost her something and she wasn't sure she was able to pay the price. Soon, he would be out the door and out of her life. Sure, they might see each other from time to time. He was going into business with Andrew. They would be polite and kind to one another and he might even try to get her to sleep with him again on occasion. She might cave but this would be the extent of their 'relationship'.

She tried to stand, her muscles protesting already. "Where you going?"

Startled, she looked back to find him awake and staring at her and she tried to cover herself, even if it was pointless. "I'm going to make coffee."

He reached up, grabbing her hips and yanking her back hard. "Oh no you're not. You're not going anywhere."

She fell back onto the bed and into his arms. He kissed her fiercely, almost like he had missed her during the few hours they had slept.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nothing was making sense, not the email he was trying to read or his continued infatuation with a certain blonde. He'd slept with her last night, many times, but it was like he had found the brightest star in the sky, fucked it till morning and now he was in Never Neverland. It was a place he had never been to before, where he acted like a child and let her fill his mind throughout the day.

He was not going to get any work done like this, her every move filled his head and played over and over again like a movie. A large part of his distraction was because he was fighting against his need to see her again.

Sleeping with her was supposed to stop all of this, not make it worse.

He couldn't take it anymore, he pulled out his phone and realized, to his severe disappointment, that he did not have her number. So instead, he pulled up the number he did have for her, The Nectar.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The day was dragging, in large part due to the phone call that had oddly come for her in Andrew's office.

The look on Andrew's face when he passed her the phone was truly telling, a mix between a smirk and a warning.

She waited till he left the room before speaking to the mystery voice on the other side, "...Hello?"

"Hello," her breath caught in her throat at the sound of his voice. Even through the phone, it was enough to make her heart skip. "Sorry to bother you at work."

She reigned herself in and huffed, "Yeah you are really keeping me from a real bean roasting calamity."

He chuckled, and her knees buckled, "What are you doing later?"

"Later?"

"You know, once you have the bean issue settled."

"Oh...uh...nothing I guess."

"Good. Come out with me."

"...You mean….like a date?"

He chuckled again, finding her confusion hilarious, "Yeah, well I thought the first one went so well we could do it again."

She was silent, thinking for a moment over her options. She could say yes and throw herself into some casual sex thing or she could just say no. But could she? The sex with Darien had been mind blowing and she would be lying if she said she didn't want more. She would also be lying if she said she didn't want more. She had never had a casual thing with someone and there was no way Darien could or would ever give her what she needed.

"No, I'm sorry I can't."

"...Oh...Okay. May I ask, why the hell not?"

She sighed, truly thinking she would get to avoid this conversation, "Look, Darien, last night was…."

"Mind blowing."

"Yes...but honestly I'm not that kind of girl."

"And what kind of girl is that?"

"The casual type. The dial-a-fuck girl…"

He sputtered, a surprised laughter coming out loud and strong, "I'm sorry, but did you just say dial-a-fuck?"

"Yes! And I am not one of those. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression..."

"You certainly gave me an impression…"

"...But, I need more."

He got quiet, so much so that she thought he had hung up for a moment. "Okay."

"Okay, so thank you again for saving me, twice and I hope that we can be frie…"

"I swear to God, Serena, if you say friends…"

She leaned heavily against Andrew's desk, gripping the sides in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to fall. "I don't know what you want from me Darien. I'm trying here."

"Then...let me try."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me try to give you more."

"Darien…."

"Serena, I don't want to stop seeing you. Do you want to stop seeing me?"

"...No, but..."

"Then let me give you more. I'll pick you up at 7."

"Darie…"

"Serena."

"...Okay, fine. 7. And don't be late."

So now she was stuck contemplating her future plans with Darien and beyond. He said he wanted to try, to give her more, but she seriously doubted he even knew how.

"Do you really think I don't see you?"

She turned to see Mina with a smile on her face watching her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. You keep staring off into space and blushing. Plus, you didn't do as well as you think you did hiding those love bites! You slept with him!"

"What?!"

"You slept with Darien last night, you little slut!" she sang.

It was true, she had slept with him, a man she barely knew, a man she didn't even dare to dream of having a future with and she'd slept with him anyways. Her tears threatened to return and she fought hard against them.

"Hey, are you okay? I was just kidding."

"No, I know, but what does it say about me that I slept with a man so quickly? Especially one that sleeps with every woman he meets."

"It just means that you have more willpower than the others to wait as long as you did!"

"I'm being serious, Mina."

"So what! You are young and beautiful! What's wrong with a little fun?"

"It's not who I am Mina. I'm a relationship girl, that's what I do."

"So you and Darien are not in a relationship now?" She shot her a look and Mina held up her hands in defense. "Come on it's a valid question. The guy was clearly into you and you did spend the night together."

"He said he wants to try.."

"Well see, there you go!"

"I forced him into it, Mina. He doesn't really want a relationship."

"He said he wants to try."

"But only because I gave him an ultimatum. I told him I needed more and he agreed so I would keep seeing him."

"SO?!"

"SO?! It's not real, Mina. It's never going to work!"

Mina gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at her. "If you go into it with that attitude, then yeah, it's never going to work. When you told him you needed more, he could have just let you go, but he didn't. He wants to give you what you need; he wants you! He even admitted to his shortcomings by saying he would try. That is more than most men would ever do for a woman. Don't you see, Serena? This is what all women dream of; a man who will change for them!"

"But if he has to change then doesn't that mean it's wrong?"

"No, if a relationship doesn't change you, then what's the point? All relationships do and the good ones change you for the better."

Ever the love guru, Mina was actually making sense. It was hard to argue with her about these sorts of things. She was right though. Even her relationships with her friends had changed her in some way and her relationship with her parents...well, who isn't affected by their parents?

Freshly showered, Serena couldn't believe her reflection. Her eye had turned black to the outer corner where Dee-bags' hand had hit. It was still blueish purple but it was yellowing at the edge, which meant it was at least starting to heal. However, it looked gross. Her neck was covered in red marks that she noticed went down and down and down...she was going to kill Darien. She looked like a hot mess. She never wore makeup and now she had to coat it over her eye and her neck!

She had no clue where they were going tonight, or what to expect. So she put on a shift dress made of a dark red silk with a black beaded pan collar. It stopped a few inches above her knees and had small caps for sleeves. She was going for sophisticated and modest, but she was pretty sure she just looked like a child. She twisted her hair up with one finger and secured it with a black hair stick, a few strands slipping free. She sprayed herself with perfume and put her red and cork wedges by the door. She still had like ten minutes till he got there and she was a bundle of nerves.

Fidgeting, she danced around her apartment, not able to settle. Unable to take any more, she sat at her piano, but quickly got up again and unlocked her door. Settling back at the piano, she let her fingers dance, leaving her nerves on the keys before her. She plucked around, aimless, matching her mind, until a tune found its way to her hands. It wasn't her own, but her subconscious was calling the shots at the moment.

Freezing, the last of the chords and words fading into the walls of her home. It was true, she felt better, but only with her nerves. Her head and heart were another story.

"Why did you stop?"

She whipped around on her stool to find Darien. He was wearing a light gray suit with a baby blue shirt and a silk tie. He had on black shoes that were shiny enough to see your reflection and his suit was clearly tailored for him because it fit him perfectly. Her inadequacies were showing again and her confidence took a small hit.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to come straight from work," there was a harshness to his voice, like there was something more to 'work' than he was saying. "You know that your front door is unlocked?!" Now his anger was clear, but his reason for it wasn't.

"Yeah, I do that when I know someone is coming if I'm playing. I don't always hear them knocking."

It wasn't a big deal, but he wanted to make it one. "Do you realize how lucky you are that someone hasn't walked in here and slit your throat before you even noticed?"

"Geez, calm down. I've been doing it for a while now. This is a really safe building; it looks like crap from the outside so nobody wants to rob it."

He took off his coat, throwing it on her loveseat, his tie following shortly after as he ranted. "Safe my ass. I must have passed two drug deals on my way up!" he yelled.

Folding her arms across her chest, she looked away from him, unable to take his glare any longer. "So sorry you are having to slum it here! You don't have to be here, you know. You can just go!"

Her piano lid snapped shut behind her and she looked up to see him towering over her, a hand leaning on either side of her to stop any attempt at an escape.

"I'm not going anywhere without you." He had stopped yelling but there was still anger in his voice.

She glared up at him. He had insulted her and her way of life only 5 minutes after getting here. "And what makes you think I would go anywhere with you?"

Already this wasn't working, they were too different and their worlds would never be able to collide. They would stay on their separate orbits, passing one another. It had been a nice thought and she would always appreciate that he was willing to try. It meant she was special.

"Look, Darien…I really appreciate you trying but...maybe this was a mistake…"

His mouth crushed onto hers and all thoughts flew out of her mind. He lowered himself to her, the force of him and his mouth pushing her back against the piano. She arched her back against it, wrapping her arms around his waist, gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly in her palms.

He released her mouth, still towering over her with her back against the cover of her piano. "You were saying?"

She had been saying something, wasn't she? Even the idea of thoughts was taxing as her mind just spun within the haze he had placed her in. The only thing she could manage was to shake her head.

Fully releasing her, he stood up, chuckling lightly. "You ready?"

"Um...yes..."

"Good. If we don't get out of here soon, the only thing I'm going to eat tonight is you."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was becoming clear that he was going to have to be more careful with his emotions. Spitting fire on her, even though she deserved it, was going to cost him dearly. She could spit back whatever he threw at her in a heartbeat. She hopped into the back of the car before him, scooting all the way to the other side and up against the other door. He was still paying for it, it would seem.

He sat down and reached over, sliding her over to him. Placing her legs in between his, he wrapped his arms around her waist and clasped them so they rested on her hip.

Nuzzling her neck, he breathed in her scent, feeling calmer than before now that she was close to him. "I'm sorry. None of...that...had anything to do with you. Do you forgive me?"

She was silent for a short moment, driving him insane, but she didn't pull away from him either.

"Yes," as silently as possible, he released the breath he had been holding. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Mmmmm...why would I want to talk about such things when I have you in my arms?"

"Because it's how you get me to stay in your arms."

Letting out a sigh, he sat back as she watched him. "We had an ex-client come in and accuse us of being unfair."

He didn't want to tell her it was Deemond and that he had gone around him to his father about his business. When he found out what was going on, he'd had him thrown out. The prick had managed to accuse him of being unprofessional, calling Serena a bitch and a slut a few times before getting pulled out of his father's office. This, of course, led to some questions from his father. He had to simply explain that Deemond was a bad investment and would taint their name. His father didn't press it, but it had left a really bad taste in Darien's mouth.

To make it worse, the part he found that bothered him the most was what he had said about Serena. It should have been the bastard's attempt to usurp his decision by going to his father. But no, it was the harsh words said about the woman in his arms at the moment. He didn't understand it, any of it, and yet his anger at Deemond had only pushed him deeper into his confusion. All of this followed his phone conversation with her, where he found himself agreeing to date her. To have a real relationship with a woman was completely new territory for him and as much as he wanted to hold onto Serena, he didn't have a clue what he was doing.

"Well, were you unfair?"

"I'm sorry?"

"To the ex-client? Were you unfair?"

There was not a doubt in his mind, "Absolutely not!"

"Then don't worry about it. I'm sure they will get over it."

That's what really worried him. The last time he had turned down Deemond, the son of a bitch came after Serena. After today, he didn't know what to expect and he really didn't like it. He would have called Serena but he still didn't have her number. He really needed to make sure he got it today. He'd almost had a heart attack when her door was unlocked. She didn't understand the danger she was in or maybe she just didn't realize. He wasn't sure what scared him more, the thought of something happening to her or the fact that he was scared of losing her.

Serena apparently approved of his choice of restaurant because she grew really quiet when they walked in. She looked around the place and her eyes widened in amazement. He knew that if there was ever a person who would appreciate this place as much as he did, it would be her. He took her to One if by Land, Two if by Sea in the West Village, hoping it would be a good way for him to 'try'.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The restaurant was better than she had imagined. It was dimly lit with big chandeliers that hung high in the ceiling. The walls were a dark wood with gold leafing. The tables were covered in white linen and the chairs were plush with burgundy cushions. Big open windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling and let in the last dregs of the summer sun set.

They were led to a small candle lit table out on the patio. The warmth of the day was starting to fade, the last few days of spring in New York making the days warm and the nights cool. It was quiet, save for the random outburst of laughter from the bar inside. They shared a bottle of wine and talked more about their days. The conversation was light and happy, she was starting to feel more like a normal couple...whatever that is.

"So, tell me Darien. How much are you worth?"

"And just why do you want to know?"

She kept her face straight. "I have to know how much to set your ransom for."

He laughed, almost spitting his wine out onto her. Once their laughter died, "I'm worth about 300 million on a good day."

"Holy shit," now she was spitting out her wine, "seriously?!"

He smirked, "What, Google didn't tell you that much? How much are you worth then?"

"Not much. I guess it really depends on how much you are willing to pay."

"Oh, I give it all for you."

She blushed and he quickly looked away as if he hadn't meant to say that.

"Where did you go to College and what degrees do you have?"

"Harvard and Oxford and an M.B.A. Actually I lived in England running our branch there till my father opened up here in NYC."

"Wow, England. That must have been nice."

He shrugged, like it was no big deal. "What about you?"

She grinned, the one thing she was truly proud of was her schooling, "I went to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a bachelors in vocal performance and a PSD in instrumental performance."

"Impressive."

"I know."

"San Francisco, huh? Was it too much sun for you there?"

"I actually missed the rain so I moved back here as soon as I was done."

He chuckled for a moment. "How did you end up working at The Nectar?"

"Getting a job in vocal performance isn't the easiest thing to do. I needed a job that wouldn't interfere with my music writing and I had a job at Starbucks while I was in Cali. I grew up with Mina and Andrew so they gave me a job. I really love it there to be honest. I don't think I would leave even if my music starting paying the bills."

"Starbucks? That doesn't seem like you."

"Yeah, that's why I hate corporations. No offense."

"That's okay, I don't really like them either. I actually wanted to be an actor. I was pretty good, too. Did some plays in college."

"Why didn't you?"

He frowned, "...That's not how it works in my family, Serena."

The car pulled up to her apartment and Darien got out of the car with her, "Um excuse me? Where do you think you are going? I didn't invite you up."

"Yes..well…..I left my coat and tie on your couch."

"Don't think I don't know that you did that on purpose. I'm on to you!"

She pressed her finger into his chest for emphasis, but that had been a mistake as he grabbed it and then her before she could rip it out of his grasp, pulling her in tight and whispering in her ear, "You'd better run, unless you want me to strip you here on this street."

He released her and she didn't wait to find out if he was serious or not, racing away from him. He followed, his long legs making it impossible to stay ahead of him. But she had the advantage on the stairs as he clearly lived in a building with an elevator. Even though she was a bit faster on the stairs, he still held his own coming up pretty close behind her. The gap between them was just large enough for her to get her keys in the door and open it wide, but not large enough for her to shut it again.

Her foot landed inside the door and she was swept up, both of them winded but she still managed a squeal as her feet left the floor. He had her up off the ground, his arms around her waist, pressing her back into his chest. Setting her back down, his hands grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up over her head without a second thought. His next move was unhooking her bra and she was practically naked with her door still standing wide open.

"Didn't you just get onto me about that?"

He followed her finger and swiftly kicked her door shut, locking it with a harsh flick of his wrist. Her arms were across her breast, holding them from view as he stared back at her, a wicked look in his eyes. She squeaked and ran again, this time making it to the living room before he had her again, this time lifting her up and throwing her on her bed, removing his clothes rapidly and joining her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He rolled off her to lay by her side. Both panting, trying to catch their breath after the marathon that began on the street and ended with each other calling out each others names. Serena rolled over onto his chest, propping herself up on her elbows to look him in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back.

"Tell me a secret Darien."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me something that no one else knows."

It was something that he had never thought about before and no one had ever asked. Yet, he knew the answer once the question left her mouth.

"I'm afraid of becoming like my father." She silent, waiting for him to continue. "My mother died when I was young. My father has never loved another woman as he loved her but he keeps getting married. I think he is trying to find something close to what he lost. But after each marriage fails he becomes colder and colder. Now he just marries because he can, he doesn't love anything anymore."

"He loves you."

He looked into her sweet, innocent eyes. "I'm more like a business partner than a son. I think that's why he wanted me to go into business like him, so he could have a partner he could trust."

"Or so he could see you every day."

He let out a huff, feeling indifferent to the whole subject, "We hardly see each other when he is there. No, my father died with my mother."

She gave him a small, sweet kiss on the lips. He held her close and kissed her deeper, but ended it quickly. He didn't want her getting out of her turn.

"Don't you have to tell me a secret now?"

"I don't have any secrets."

He gave her a frown, "Everyone has secrets, Serena."

"Okay…...I'm adopted. I don't even know if my name is Serena but that's the name I was given when they found me. My….parents left me at a church when I was three and I was adopted by a nice, older foster couple named the Sparrows when I was ten. They died four years ago."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged but wore a sad look on her face. "It's okay. They had a lovely life. They loved each other and they loved me."

"But don't Mina and Andrew know this?"

"Yeah, I met them when I was six before I was adopted…..that's not the secret."

"Okay, then what is?"

"The secret is….sometimes I wonder," she looked up at him, her mouth twisted, "what was so wrong with me that my own parents would just toss me away like I was nothing?"

Something about the way she looked and spoke was wrong; it didn't suit her. It was nothing like the woman he met and was constantly surprising him. It just wasn't right. But it also made a lot of sense, the way she acted sometimes or some of the things she said.

He rolled them over so that he was on top and kissed her deeply then pulled away to look her in the eyes, "There is nothing wrong with you. There was something wrong with them. But it was their loss that they didn't get to see what an amazing woman you became."

"Darien..."

He claimed her mouth again, wanting to stop himself from saying anything more foolish, melting their bodies together again in ecstasy.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next few weeks flew by and soon it was the start of summer. The heat came from two directions, above from the sun and below from the frying pan known as the sidewalk. Even deep in tunnels of the subway, away from the summer sun, the heat sweltered, making it feel more like a train ride straight to hell. She did get a reprieve from the boiling tubes in the mornings when Darien spent the night, which was pretty much every night. But in reality, they were easier to handle in the mornings.

Her shirt was starting to wet through as she swayed, standing as there was not a single open seat. It was her luck to end up on the car that had the broken air conditioning. Now her shirt was becoming sticky and all she could think about was taking a nice cold shower.

Pulling the material from her skin, she caught the eyes of one of the other passengers. He was a tall, hulking man with light brown hair and a thick mustache. It was the mustache that caught her attention at first, the handlebars being something of a masterpiece. But then he kept looking at her, so much that he soon slipped his dark shades over his eyes as if it would hide the fact.

Coming to a stop, the crowd shifted, people, coming and going. The man, who stood at the back of the car, slowly made his way to her. She swiftly placed her earbuds in her ears, hoping to appear 'standoffish'. It seemed to work as he never approached her. She was starting to feel a little at ease, not looking back at him again. But as she got off at her stop, she saw him get off too, slowly heading in the same direction as her. She did her best not to take it too seriously. It was a big city and it was not uncommon in the least to share a stop with a stranger. But something about this guy was off. He wore all black: black suit, black shirt, black tie, black shoes. She couldn't see but she would take a guess that his socks were black too.

Her heart rate spiked when he was still behind her a block from her place. Getting the lobby door open and shut tight behind her, she hastened her way up the stairs. But she passed someone on the way down, knowing just how easy it was to trick someone into letting them into their building. She shrank down to the steps, listening. When she heard her neighbor let someone in, she got up and bolted, knowing almost certainly that it was him.

Getting to her door, she fumbled with her keys, her fear making her hands tremble. After dropping them twice, she finally got them in her door. She caught eyes with him again as he stood at the top of the stairs, looking right at her.

She locked the door tight, watching him through the peephole. When he turned and stood before her door, she lept back to stand in the middle of her living room. Seconds passed, then minutes. She wasn't sure just how long she stood there waiting. He rapted heavily on her door and her heart dropped into her stomach. When she didn't answer, he knocked again, harder.

"Serena, could you open this door already? It's a fucking sauna out here."

Lightheaded, she felt as if she might faint with relief. "Darien?"

"Yeah, now open the door, please!"

Taking a quick peek through the peephole again to be sure, she flung the door open, stepping out and searching the halls around him, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Did you see a guy? Black suit, black everything?"

He turned, looking around him as well before turning back to her, "No...why?"

She felt crazy. Maybe she was crazy. "It's nothing. I thought I saw something."

Darien stepped hesitantly inside, still looking around behind him, "You thought you saw something?" He took a closer look at her, "Jesus, Serena! You're as white as a sheet!"

Her hand flew to her face as if it would hide or help anything. "I guess I'm just too hot." He touched the back of his hand to her forehead and she watched him as he cared for her. "I was just about to take a shower. Would you like to join me?"

He didn't even answer, he just took her hand and led them both towards the bathroom.

After a few days of looking over her shoulder, she decided she was just being paranoid, her dark shadow not showing up again.

The week was proving to be a hot one and it was promised to be an even hotter weekend. It was going to make hers and Darien's usual weekend of playing in central park or the Bronx Zoo all the more uncomfortable.

She spotted his shaggy dark locks as he made his way in for his usual mid-day visits. There was a small line waiting when he got there but neither of them really cared as he walked straight up to the counter next to her. She skipped over to him as he leaned on the counter. Grabbing his face, she planted a quick but dirty kiss right on his mouth.

"Seriously? You two act like a couple of teenagers."

She glanced behind her to find Andrew shaking his head at them as she still held Darien's face in her hands. "Is it not good to be young at heart?"

He chuckled, then pointed his thumb at the line. "Not when there are people waiting."

She stuck out her lip, pouting at him but then turned it to Darien who broke out in laughter. "Go on, I don't want to get you in trouble," he pulled her hands off of his face and stood upright. "Besides I need to talk to your boss for a minute."

Andrew ushered Darien to the back while she continued to pout. It looked like they wouldn't be getting their little 'afternoon delight' after all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

He sat at the small desk across from Andrew, pulling the vanilla envelope out and handing it over to him.

Andrew just stared back at him, a small smile forming on his lips. "Really? They sent you, Mr. Darien Shields, to bring me paperwork?"

"That happens to be the final workup of our deal. I need you to read over it and sign it. Get your lawyer to look it over to if you like."

He sat back, smirking at him. "Something tells me that won't be necessary. I seriously doubt YOU would risk Serena's wrath if you were to screw me and her second home over."

He frowned, glaring at the man. "I seriously suggest you have it looked over. I don't want anyone getting accused of anything."

Andrew sat back up, waving his hands in defeat, but still grinning. "Alright I'll send them to my lawyer today," his face turned, changing into something serious. "Did Serena tell you about her past?"

"You mean her adoption?"

Andrew lifted his eyes, staring straight into his with fierceness. "Then you should know, deal or not, I will wreck you if you break her heart."

"Is this supposed to be the 'I have a shotgun' intimidation speech?"

"Since she has no one else to do it for her, yeah. I guess it is."

"And do you have a shotgun?"

"No….but I do have a pretty mean right hook."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The place was dead, the usual midday lull. Mina shouldered her purse and walked around to the other side of the counter.

"I'm going to sneak out for a bit. Got a hot date tonight and the dress next door is calling my name! Do you need anything?"

She shook her head, leaning over the counter to watch her go. "Nope, I'm good."

"Of course you are." Mina still walked towards the door, her back to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She chuckled, turning one last time as she held the door in her hand, "Don't think I haven't noticed you started wearing skirts to work when Darien started coming in for his…'visits'."

She walked out, leaving Serena to burn up in her flush. Guess she wasn't as sneaky as she thought.

Her cheeks still burning, she took to some busy work, hoping to get her mind off her slip up. Her pink converses squeaked on the floor and she subconsciously tugged at the hem of her stretchy denim skirt. Lita banged around in the back, cleaning or something. She focused on the world outside the windows, almost forgetting that Darien was still in the back with Andrew.

Hands grabbed her hips, tugging her so that she fell into a lap that sat on one of their armchairs. It sat facing the wall on the other side but was hidden by other chairs from both the front and the back of the building, making it almost secluded.

As she sat on his lap, legs over the side of his, he pulled her closer to him with his hand on her waist while his other hand dug up her skirt. His face was in her neck with his mouth right at her ear.

"What are you doing wearing a skirt so tight?"

She scoffed, pulling away slightly to fuss but he held her too tight to move. "Are you honestly complaining that my skirt is too tight?"

"I mean...it's nice when you are standing up, but right now, it's a bit of a hindrance."

She tried to push off of him again, her hands on his chest, but he was unrelenting. "Did you ever think that maybe I did that on purpose? So you couldn't molest me at my place of business?"

His face rose, giving her a look of mock shock. "Molest you? No, I think if you didn't want this, you wouldn't wear a skirt at all."

"Is it really that obvious?"

He pressed his mouth against her skin, nibbling at her neck, his breath tickling as he spoke. "It's obvious that you don't want me to stop."

He had her skirt pushed all the way up, the material scrunched up around her waist. His hand sat in between her thighs, so high up that all he did was lift his thumb and brush against her, an action that he kept doing over and over, causing her to heat up all over. She pressed her thighs together hard, trying to still his hand from going any further while his other hand was inching up to the side of her breast.

He was still nibbling at her neck, causing her to mew softly. "Let's go somewhere. This weekend."

She was so thrown by his question, she forgot to keep her legs closed tight and he seized on it, pressing his palm up against her hard before she could stop him. She sucked in a breath harshly and it released as a sheltered moan, not wanting anyone to hear them. He didn't make another move after that, just held her tight.

"I want to see you in a bikini."

She was doing her best to concentrate and not just give in to whatever he said. "I can't afford to go anywhere."

"I can."

She shook her head, trying to get her words to form. "No. No, you cannot pay for a vacation, not by yourself. That is not how it works."

His head was still buried in the crook of her neck and his hand wiggled slightly in between her legs. "And just how is it supposed to work?"

He was practically growling in her ear, trying to get her to cave with dirty tricks, "It is a hard no Darien."

Grabbing his forearm, she tried to still his movements between her legs, knowing full well what he was up to. "What if I promised to take you somewhere really cheap?"

"Darien…" She was going for warning, but was pretty sure it came out as wanting. She closed her eyes, trying her best to gain control once again.

"What if I pay for transportation and you pay for logging?" He stilled, finally, and she was able to focus.

"And just where did you want to go?"

"Could you afford...the Hamptons?"

She shook her head, "This late in the year, finding a place and it not being exuberant is impossible."

Her reprieve was short lived as he went back to work, "I know a place and they know me. I will get us a reservation," she opened her mouth to protest, "and a discount. I promise, nothing exuberant at all," in a quick move, he slid her back, her back now resting on the armrest looking up at his face, "come on, say yes."

Although slight, his little seating adjustment had gained him a lot more access and she lost the willpower to fight him off. "Yes."

It came out a little louder than she intended and it was mostly forced out of her, but she would be mad at him later. Now he watched her as she wiggled and squirmed under his attention.


	5. Enter the Young Lovers

CH. 5

Enter the young lovers...

"Richard, I'll be out of town this weekend so you and Lisa can just take those days off."

Richard was finishing up for the day and he stopped to dig into his things, pulling out a small calendar book and shuffling through it, "Really? I don't have that down. Such a last minute business trip, I hope nothing is wrong?"

The man was digging. "It's a personal trip."

He snapped the book shut. "A personal trip? I'm not sure I remember the last time you took one of those, sir."

"Richard, it's just a trip to the Hamptons. Don't make a big deal of it."

He smirked. "Oh no, sir. We wouldn't want to do that, now would we?" He brushed past the nosy old man, heading towards his home office. "And what a surprise it is to see you home this evening. No Ms. Sparrow tonight?"

"No, I have work to do and she said she needed to get some things done before the trip as well."

"I see…"

He could really be annoying sometimes.

oOo

With a little bit of help from Mina, she was able to find a bathing suit that didn't break the bank. Although it was very simple, she still liked it. She pulled the two piece out of the bag, looking at the black and white striped fabric that had coral color along the edge in a thick strip. The bottoms were a regular bikini cut and the top was a simple halter, but she liked how her boobs looked in it and it got two thumbs up from Mina.

Then Mina had forced her into getting a wax and a pedicure. The pedicure had actually been nice but the wax...well, that was just torture...even if it did make her bikini line look flawless.

Finally home, she dropped her bags in the middle of the floor, telling herself she would get them later. For now, she just wanted to sit and relax. It would be the first night in a month that Darien wouldn't be there and it felt strange, and a little freeing, knowing she would have the place to herself for once.

Having gone straight from work to out with Mina, she was still clad in her work shirt and denim skirt. Tugging at it again, she flushed as the memory of her afternoon visit from Darien flashed through her mind. She was sure that when Mina returned, she would take one look at her knees and know. They seemed to scream out with what she'd been up to for almost an hour after Darien had left. But since she wouldn't see him tonight, it was worth it. Plus, she really enjoyed watching his hands grip the armrest, almost breaking them, while she knelt before him.

She was just about to take her purse off, the cord wrapped across her chest when a knock came at the door. Startling her from her thoughts, her heart skipped a beat, wondering if Darien had decided to come over anyways.

Her heart stopped when she glanced through the peephole. It was her dark shadow standing at her door. He knocked again and she stood back, not sure what to do. She slowly lifted the chain and placed it securely, trying not to make a sound as she did. As soon as she had it in place, he started banging against the door, trying to break it down. Even though she was pretty confident that a guy like that couldn't break through the reinforced steel door and deadbolt she had installed when she moved in, the door still shook heavily against his attempts. Without another thought, she slipped out to the fire escape and up onto the roof.

It was the rain that woke her, light drips falling on her face as a warning of more to come. The sky was dark, the heavy clouds covering the morning sun. It was still hot, the air thick with humidity, and the roof steamed from the few drops that quickly evaporated.

Not wanting to scare or put any of her friends in danger, she had not called or texted them. She knew they would have rushed over or made her come to them. She had no idea what this guy was up to or what he wanted so there was no way of knowing what he was capable of. Or how deep his skill was, finding her wherever she might run.

And Darien….well he hadn't even had her at his apartment and they'd been seeing each other for a month. There was no way she was going to mention this to him. That just wasn't their relationship.

Instead, she'd spent the night, barely sleeping, on the loveseat that graced the roof. Every time she even heard the slightest squeak from the fire escape, it woke her up, afraid that the dark shadow was coming after her. It had been a fitful night but at some point, exhaustion had claimed her and now she sat in the grey morning as the rain slowly began to pick up.

She blanched as she pulled out her phone, she was late, even for her. Racing down the fire escape, she didn't even have time to change or the courage to stop in her apartment, she just went from roof to sidewalk, running as fast as she could.

oOo

He was starting to resign himself to his feelings for Serena, so when he missed her last night, it didn't trouble or scare him as much as it used to. Sleeping in his bed had felt weird, having slept in Serena's tiny little bed for so long and having her naked body next to his. It had started to become a comfort for him that he didn't like being without.

That being said, the work he'd gotten done last night allowed for him to be pretty laid back that day and on into the weekend. Amy had a smirk on her face when he passed by her on his way to the coffee house, but he didn't care if the whole building knew where he was off to. The memory of his trip yesterday had him getting 'excited' already.

It was pouring outside; even a New Yorker like him needed an umbrella for a day like today. Folding it up once inside, he tried to shake the droplets off of it onto the small carpet by the door. The people were coming in and out in a frenzy; he should have known the weather would have them extra busy.

She stood by the large machine, its bright brass color shining in the fluorescent light above. As he got closer, he took in her appearance, noticing right away that she was soaked through...and that she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He quickly snuffed out the thoughts in his head, determined to let her explain before he jumped to any wild conclusions...but it had been their first night apart in a month…

Stepping up to the counter, it was several moments before she acknowledged him. She wasn't keeping up with her work like she usually did. She was struggling but still managing to get the orders out in a steady stream. It was clear, though, that she was tired.

She finally glanced up at him, doing a quick double take, and the smile that spread across her face had all other thoughts, even ones of infidelity, flying out of his mind. She took a quick second, grabbed his tie and pulled him to her, her lips meeting his in a sweet, chaste kiss that managed to hold a promise for when she had more time.

He leaned over the counter, watching her as she flitted around. Mina moved around nearby, helping. "Oh good, you're here. Can you take this one home at the first lull please?"

"Mina, I'm fine!"

The two blondes turned on one another and he noticed for the first time just how similar the two of them looked. "Serena, I love you, but you look like shit. You need to go home and change at least."

"Gee, thanks."

Mina looked to him, noticing the confused look on his face and pointed at Serena. "This one managed to lock herself out of her place last night and then had the bright idea to sleep in her hall instead of calling me!"

Looking over at his blonde, she shrugged, "I didn't want to bother you and the super was out."

"Bother me?! You are bothering me more now, looking like a drowned rat and moving like a zombie!"

Serena tried to wave her off. "I'm fine, really. The day is half over anyway."

Andrew appeared, or he'd been there the whole time and he hadn't noticed, too busy watching Serena. "Just go Serena, we can handle it here."

"Andrew…"

"Serena, the last thing we need is for you to get sick. Just go, enjoy your weekend. Consider it a gift."

The line died down and Andrew pushed Serena out of the way, taking over the large espresso machine. Darien reached around, grabbing her shirt and pulling her the rest of the way around the counter, holding her shoulders as he pushed her out the door.

He followed behind her and it would be a lie to say he didn't enjoy it, the true purpose of her little denim skirt on display for him as she slowly made her way up her stairs. They arrived at her door, and she produced keys that he had thought she'd left inside. She tried to open the door, only to be stopped hard and quick by the chain on her door.

She groaned, leaning heavily against it, "Ug, fuck I forgot the chain…" she turned and walked past him, heading back down the stairs. "I'll be right back."

A few minutes passed and he expected her to return with her super and a chain cutter. Instead, he heard sounds from inside her apartment, the door opening wide to reveal her behind it, carefully examining the edge of the door as she let him in. He watched her closely as she stepped back into the apartment and began changing her clothes. Things were not adding up.

"Serena...what really happened last night?"

She shrugged, not making eye contact. "I told you, I locked myself out."

"First off, you didn't tell me, Mina did. And second, that is bullshit. You have your keys in your hand!"

"The super dropped these off for me. They're my spare."

"And the chain was on the door…."

"So?"

"So, that means you came home, got inside and placed the chain on your door."

She got silent as she walked to her bathroom. He sat down on her bed, watching her as she ran a brush through her almost dry hair.

A frustrated sigh came from him, helping little in his agitation. He knew she wasn't going to tell him and he tried not to be pissed about it. "Why didn't you call me last night?" she paused from brushing her teeth and shot him a look before turning back to her mirror. "You should have called me."

She ignored him, pulling off her top and skirt along with the rest of her clothes and tossed them into her hamper deeper inside the bathroom. He stood, blocking the door with his body and waited.

When she returned, wanting to leave and retrieve fresh clothes, he didn't budge, "Excuse me."

She hid her face, along with her breast as she held an arm across them, acting as if he hadn't seen all of her plenty of times. "Not until you promise to call me."

Dancing back and forth on her feet, she made her nerves obvious. "That's not the kind of relationship you and I have."

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Yes, it is. Promise me. Promise me that if...whatever...happened last night, happens again, or anything happens where you need help, that I will be the first one you call."

She gave him a weak nod, knocking away the last of his willpower. Picking her up, he dropped her on the bed. Stepping back, he removed his clothes at a swift but relaxed pace, while she watched. Her chest rose and fell faster and faster the less he had on. A shiver shook her entire body when he joined her on the bed, pulling her close to him, getting the kiss he had been craving all day. She held onto him tight, knowing exactly where things were going and how it was going to be. He ran a hand down her stomach and she closed her eyes, arching into his touch. He loved how responsive she was. He bit her collarbone, placing his fingers inside of her while her whimpers were almost enough to send him over the edge. But before he replaced his fingers with himself, he found her ear, touching his lips to it.

"I missed you."

She shuddered and he couldn't wait any longer.

oOo

She laid on the bed, watching him as he got dressed, trying hard to stay awake. Her eyes glazed over and she heard him chuckle. Leaning back on the bed, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I have to go back to the office for a bit. I'll be back in two hours."

She nodded numbly, "Okay."

Closing her eyes, she heard him chuckle again, leaning over her. "Serena, you need to get up and lock the door behind me."

Rolling over, she hoped to block him out. "Just take my keys…"

His weight left the bed and the jingling of her keys told her he had found them, the door shutting and locking tight behind him. She wrapped the sheets a little tighter around her, still naked, and fell into a deep but dreamless sleep.

It took her a moment to regain her bearings when she woke, not use to waking up alone after sex with Darien. It was a bit disorienting. Pulling the sheets with her, she made her way to her dresser, putting on some cloth Capri shorts and a tank top. Then she continued to pull out clothes to pack for their weekend, sure that Darien would want to leave as soon as he got back.

She was still debating whether or not to tell Darien the truth about last night. He had said that their relationship was more than she thought it was, making her promise to call him. But even if he didn't believe her locked out story, he didn't have a clue to the truth. Hell, she didn't even know the truth. What the hell was that guy was doing and what was he after? He probably had the wrong person and figured that out last night. Otherwise, there would have been more proof of his presence here.

Deciding to just keep it to herself, she grabbed up her forgotten bag in the living room, removed the tags, and packed up her bag, bathing suit included.

As predicted, Darien was hustling her out the door as soon as he got back. The sun was setting when she closed her eyes, falling asleep while Darien drove beside her. Her last sights were the winding road before them.

So when she woke in the large bed, needless to say, it was a bit of a shock. The sun shone strongly through the large window to her right and the large bed was completely empty, save for her. She still wore the clothes from last night; Darien must have carried her in.

The bedroom she was in was large. She lay on a huge four-poster bed, the sheer, white curtains that hung from it, dancing gently in the breeze. Finding the source, she saw a large balcony was beyond the window. The French doors were open, letting in the warm breeze.

Rising slowly, she made her way out to stand on it, getting a view of the ocean and the place she had slept in. It was huge! A New England style mansion that was the kind one rented as a whole and not a timeshare. Either Darien had planned this from the start or had taken advantage of her while she slept and neither choice made her any less mad. She spotted him below, the balcony putting the pool just in sight and she did her best to memorize its location.

The house was even bigger than it looked, taking her longer than expected to finally wind her way to the pool that Darien lounged beside. He held the paper up in front of himself and a steaming cup of coffee sat beside him. He was clad in a pair of swim trunks and nothing else.

Stomping over to him, she ripped the paper from his hands and beat him with it. "What the hell, Serena?!"

"Oh don't worry, I know a place, I'll get us a discount. You know damn well I can't afford this place, Darien. We agreed you wouldn't pay for this vacation and you tricked me!"

He chuckled, only adding fuel to her rage. "Calm down, I know this place and I promise you, you can afford it."

"Oh really? This place is a fucking mansion! I passed five bathrooms, six bedrooms, a library, and a game room just on my way here and that isn't even half of this place!"

"There's a movie theatre in the basement too…"

"Darien!"

"Relax, this is my family's home. It has been in the family for decades now, bought by my grandfather when the land was like $10 an acre."

"Your family home?"

"Yes, and we took my car. So gas and food are all we are going to have to pay for. I didn't even call in the staff okay. It's just you and me and an almost free vacation. Now...can I have my paperback, please?"

She handed it over to him, keeping her eyes on him, "Your family home?"

"Yes."

"So...you own the place…"

"My father owns it technically, but yes. It's mine as well."

"And, we are the only ones here?"

"Yes, Serena. There is no staff so there is really nothing you need to pay for, okay?" He lifted his paper back up to his face and she glanced around, noting the large privacy wall that surrounded them.

"Okay then."

He let out a huff, approving of the end of their spat, already deeply engrossed in his paper again. Without a word or even looking back at him, she started stripping off her clothes.

"What are you doing?"

Like a magnet to metal, his eyes were back on her, his paper quickly becoming forgotten. "You said we were all alone."

She quickly dived into the pool once she was fully nude, knowing he stared at her the entire time. Her head hit the top of the water, and she floated on her back, watching as Darien slipped off his trunks.

oOo

She was punishing him. He had thought about coming to his house was the perfect solution; Serena wouldn't have to spend any money and they could have a really nice vacation. But after an hour of her slipping from his grasp in the pool, it was becoming clear that he was going to suffer for his little plan.

A small white towel was wrapped tight around her now, tucked in at her breast as she dug through her suitcase, pulling out a little bikini. This was what he originally wanted; Serena in a tiny bathing suit. But after all the teasing he took in the pool, he wasn't sure he was up for more. He could just picture her running around, escaping his touch as she bounced in the small bit of fabric.

"What are you doing now?"

She didn't even look at him, continuing to pull on the suit. "I'm going to the beach," she said, tying the strap around her neck. She turned to face him, giving him the full view of her barely covered body. "Want to come with me?"

She was smirking, knowing full well what she was doing to him, and knowing he couldn't refuse, no matter how much it hurt. "Alright."

Serena set out her towel, removing the sarong she had tied around her hips and settling in to lay out in the sun. He laid his towel right next to her, pulling his shirt up over his head. As soon as he sat down, Serena thrust a bottle of sun lotion in his face.

"Would you do my back?"

She was good...too good. Taking the bottle and letting out a sigh, she smirked, knowing full well of her victory. Facing away from him, her little shoulders and back now taunted him as he began his task, taking his time as he touched her as she knew he would.

She leaned into his touch, moaning, "Oh, that feels good," he almost fell over and she giggled. "Hey, where are all the other people?" She was, of course, talking about the complete lack of people on the beach around them.

"This is a private beach. The sand up to the water is owned by each house along with it. And by the looks of it, we are the only ones here this weekend."

"Wow...that is nice...but, now I'm starting to think I wasted my money buying this suit."

He couldn't take it anymore and wrapped his arms around her. He was more than willing to take her from behind, his hand slipping under her top with ease and kneading the flesh beneath. She leaned back, arching into him and thrusting her breast deeper into his hand. He kept his other arm firmly wrapped around her waist, keeping her from escaping again.

She turned in his arms, facing him, both of them on their knees. Finally, she kissed him and it only fed the fire within him, his hands gripping her hips hard hoping to steady himself. But then, just as she had all morning, she slipped away, getting up and running towards the water. He was ready for her this time, getting up and chasing after her. She squealed when she saw his fast advance behind her, hesitating after her feet touched the cool water. It was all he needed to catch up to her, pulling her with his arms around her waist again, taking both of them deeper into the water.

She squirmed and thrashed, trying to escape, their exertion leaving them breathless. He had her waist deep when he released her and she turned, standing before him just in reach. Grabbing her, her arms went around him but she wasn't expecting him to continue. He put his arms around her back, grabbing her ass and pulling her hips tight against his.

"You are not getting away this time."

Her mouth opened wide in shock and he covered it with his, making quick work of his trunks and pushing the fabric of her suit to the side, nestling himself inside her. She moaned into his mouth, her legs wrapping around him she instantly began moving up and down him, not wanting to wait any longer either. He gripped her buttocks tight, slipping his hands underneath the material, and helping her along as she brought them both quickly to their ends.

They had barely finished when she hopped off of him, pushing him away and making for the shore. She was laid out on her towel, an arm over her eyes when he made it back to her side.

Laying down beside her, running his fingers down her side, she smacked it away, "Stop it."

Anger evident in her voice, he let out a frustrated sigh, "Are you going to be mad the whole trip?" She remained silent, her arm still over her eyes. "It's not like I tricked you. You can still pay for our lodgings if you want."

She didn't move, "And just how am I supposed to do that? You own the goddamn place."

He ran his hand across her flat stomach, "And there are plenty of ways that you can pay me back." She slapped his hand away again, a bit more forceful, and he chuckled. "I'm just kidding."

She sat up quickly, glaring at him, "Well I'm not. We were supposed to pay for this vacation together."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I'm not with you to be kept, Darien!"

She flopped back down, facing away from him now, her back to him. He curled up against her, wrapping an arm around her, "I'm sorry. I just thought this would be better. I never come here and I wanted to bring you. It was never about trying to 'keep' you," she was still silent, her anger still simmering at the surface. "Look, you can pay for the food. All of it. I mean it."

She softened, the tension in her body finally relaxing away.

"Okay."

He pulled her closer to him, putting to an end all the anger she had at him and putting their energy to better use.

oOo

Putting on clothes just to venture out for food, they got milk, cereal, sandwich stuff. When Darien wasn't looking, she also grabbed shrimp and flounder to broil for them later that night.

Lunch finished, she stood at the sink washing their dishes when Darien came up behind her. His hands had her shorts and underwear at her feet before she knew what was going on.

"Get out of these clothes already."

He spun her around, wet hands and all, and hoisted her up onto the huge kitchen island that was covered with marble.

"Eeeeek! It's cold!" She jumped

He pushed her back down, pulling her top over her head quickly. "It will get warm in a second."

Satisfied with the stars in Darien's eyes, she rolled off of him, her legs sore from being spread apart for so long. She laid next to him on the island that was truly big enough for the two of them, now enjoying the feel of its cool surface.

"You know, we should probably clean this before we leave. The thought of anyone eating off it after this makes me a bit sick to my stomach."

Darien still had his eyes to the ceiling, still reeling from her time on top of him. "My father only comes here a few times a year. Even then, it's always for some big bash that he likes to throw. So the place is always scrubbed from top to bottom before anyone arrives."

"Big parties huh? So this is just a banquet hall or something?"

He chuckled, "Might as well be. It's mostly the same people year after year, all playing 'who has the most impressive portfolio'."

"And you don't play along?"

He shrugged, "I use to. My father is pretty adamant about my appearances at these 'shindigs', but all the booze in the world couldn't make me enjoy his incestuous parties…"

"Hmmm…"

"But you might."

"Pardon me?"

He turned on his side, facing her. "You should come. To the 4th of July one next weekend."

She huffed, turning away from him, but then turning back to see he was waiting. "What? Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

She got up quickly, hopping off the island before he could stop her. "No, you can't be serious."

"Why can't I be serious?!"

"Because that's not the type of relationship we have."

She managed to get her pants on and was trying to get her shirt on when he jumped off the island, stopping her, "Just what kind of a relationship do you think we have?" She remained silent, afraid to answer or to hear his answer. "I told you I wanted to try and you agreed. Now you are the one who keeps putting on the brakes like you are trying to keep us from getting any closer."

She shrugged away from his grasp, returning to putting on her shirt as she walked away from him. "I am just trying to keep my expectations realistic."

He walked after her. "Does that mean you don't expect anything from me? That you think I can't handle this? I have been handling it for over a month now!"

"Darien, that is nothing. Do you know how long my last relationship was? Three years! Do you even know how to be with someone for that long?"

"How am I ever supposed to learn if you won't let me?!" She stopped, frozen by his anger and frustration, finding it impossible to face him even as he came up right behind her. "I want to be with you. Don't you want to be with me?"

"Yes."

"Then why won't you let me in? Why won't you let us be together?"

She knew the answer. Because there was a lot of his past that had her scared out of her mind. Because there was a lot to her past that had her scared too. And there were plenty of things he did now that scared her too; like how he never invited her to his place, as if he didn't want her to know where he lived. But all of this scared her even more because of how she felt for him. Her attachment to him was already deeper than the aforementioned 3-year relationship she had had. He could break her...really break her and it would be nothing to him.

Silence had fallen between them for a really long time as he waited for her to answer. "I'm just….scared…"

It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie. "Don't you think I'm scared too? I really care about you, Serena. I don't want either of us getting hurt," his hands rubbed up her bare arms, sending a shiver up her spine. "But, you are hurting me by pushing me away all the time." He slowly turned her around to face him and she felt a tear slip down her cheek. "So, from now on, you are going to trust me, you are going to rely on me, and you are not going to question what you mean to me. Okay?"

She nodded, a laugh mixing in with her tears that had turned to ones of joy. He hugged her so tight to him, she struggled to breathe, but she didn't dare pull away.

oOo

Not surprising, the group was all the same people it was last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. The only real difference was Serena, whom he had tightly clutched to his side with an arm around her waist.

All the other women there wore stuffy looking cocktail dresses in either dark blue or red with a few in white, the theme of the party every year. And all of them had on pearls. Serena wore a loose sundress that tied behind her neck. It was light blue with little white stars all over it. She stood out in the crowd just as he knew she would and it only made him want her more. The dress came to her knees, which was a little disappointing for him. But it was tight around her waist up to her breast, which he very much approved of. He was planning on sneaking them off somewhere at some point and ruffling up her skirt and her hair hung down mid-back in waves of gold. She was easily the most beautiful woman there. The looks some of the other women were giving her were proof of that.

The crowd was a mixture of those who were his father's age, friends of his, and those who were closer to his age, the children of his father's friends. Usually, he spent these parties looking for someone to pass the time with and chasing skirts. This was the first time he had ever brought someone with him, something that was not going unnoticed.

Serena was fidgeting next to him, feeling the eyes that he knew were on her. "Don't worry. They are staring at you because of me. It's my fault," her big blue eyes stared up at him in confusion. "I never come to these things with a date. They are just curious as to who you are."

She snuck her arm under his sports coat, squeezing his side and hip in appreciation. "Just don't leave me alone."

He held onto her the entire night, the both of them facing dreary conversations together. They made a little game out of it. Every time someone said "requisition", they took a sip of their drink. And when someone droned on about themselves or their business, they would see how much they could get away with touching one another without interrupting. Eventually, they were both a little tipsy and made their escape to one of the bedrooms.

"Now my dress is all wrinkled!"

He smirked at her, pulling his pants back up. "That's what you get for not letting me take it off."

She pouted, "I didn't want to be gone too long, people might look for us or start assuming…"

"What? That I'm sleeping with you? Pretty sure that ship sailed when I had my hand on your ass for the past hour."

"You said no one was looking!"

"I lied."

She threw a shoe at him. He caught the heavy thing and handed it back to her with a kiss. "Are you ready?"

She gave him a shy smile, "I'm going to need a minute."

Still sitting on the bed, he leaned over her, pressing his lips heavily to hers for a moment before she pushed him off, stopping him from keeping them there a while longer. "I'll be right outside."

He waited for her just outside the door, knowing if he didn't leave then, he wouldn't be able to. The hallway was completely empty and the sounds of the party echoed down the hall, still in full swing.

"Darien, there you are!"

He turned, finding his father coming straight towards him. "Shit."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Well, then, come on now. There are people waiting to talk with you."

"I have already talked with everyone, father."

He clasped his shoulder, pushing him as he patted it. "Darien, that is no way to talk about our friends. Now let's go."

"I'm waiting for Serena…"

"She will be fine. She knows her way around, does she not?"

There was no getting out of it as his father practically dragged him back to more incessant and assinine conversations, without his distraction.

oOo

The hallway was empty when she emerged. Darien had left her behind. Following the sounds of the party and her memory of the place, she made her way back. The place was still packed with people of varying ages and sizes. Most of the women were thin and beautiful or had a doctor make them that way, one standing out against the other.

She caught sight of Darien's dark hair, standing beside a man that had to be his father. He was the only other man in the room with hair close to Darien's color, even if his was greying. Their noses were the same too, but the similarities stopped there. The rest of Darien must have come from his mother.

Being as polite as possible, she made her way through the crowd, when she found herself surrounded by a small group of women, blocking her path. They varied greatly in age, some looked to be the age of Darien's father while the others the age of Darien. It wasn't lost on her that she was most likely the youngest person there.

It was three pairs of women and it looked as though they might be mother-daughter pairs. They smiled, each more saccharine than the last. They each went around introducing themselves, along with what she assumed was their title, the name of the company they owned or the family they belonged to.

"Serena Sparrow."

They stared at her for a moment as if she might continue, expecting her to have a title as well, but when she didn't one of the mothers continued. "So, you are here with Darien, right?"

Wasn't that obvious? "Yes."

One of the girls touched her arm. "I just love your dress. Who is it by?"

"By?"

"The designer, dear," an elder to her left told her.

"Oh..I have no idea. I've just had it in my closet for years. I never had anything to wear it to."

She was probably revealing too much to these women. They were eating it up like the candy they weren't allowed to have any more. "So, dear, what do you do?"

"Yes, a girl like you must have some occupation?"

It was strange. Never had the idea of having a job sound so disgraceful as it did on these ladies lips. "Yes, I work at Nectar."

One of them chuckled, a younger one, "Is that a strip club?"

Serena shot her a glare with a smile, "No, coffee house." They all nodded, looking at one another with not so secret smiles, "But I also dabble in the arts. Music and drawing."

"Oh? And just what do you play?"

It was a challenge more than a question, she knew what was going to follow after she answered. "Piano and guitar."

Just as she predicted, one of the ladies began to gush, "Oh fantastic, there is a piano just over there! Why don't you play something for us?"

Normally, she would say no, not wanting to gloat. But she really wanted to shut these gaudy women up.

oOo

He kept glancing over the crowd, keeping an eye out for Serena. She had yet to meet his father and he really wanted to introduce her tonight. He hoped it would get his father off his back at least for a while, always asking him about Michelle. Even though his father knew he was dating Serena, he only knew her by name. More than anything he wanted to get his father off the idea that he would ever be with Michelle as anything more than the occasional fuck buddy. Lately, he didn't even want her like that.

A hush began to settle over the crowd, a strange and eerie silencing. As they got quieter, the hush making its way to them, they all began to understand why. Someone was playing the piano and playing it well. He was pretty sure no one had played that piano since his mother passed, causing him to glance at his father to gauge his reaction. He just looked curious.

Then her voice lifted over the crowd, telling him exactly who was at the piano, not that he was all that surprised.

He looked back at his father, finding him mystified. "Father, that's Serena."

oOo

The stuck up witches clamoured around the piano, a beautiful grand. She didn't hesitate, going straight into a bit of Mozart to start, really just trying to show off. She focused on her hands and the keys, not bothering to look up at their faces, not really caring if they were impressed or not. Either way, it was an insult if they were impressed, it meant they didn't expect something like this from her. If they weren't impressed, then they truly were just stuck up.

Finishing up Mozart, she moved onto one of her own works. It was one she wrote recently, but it was still buzzing around in her mind.

Finished, she looked up at the women, finally ready to see their reaction. The whole party had gone silent, something she was kind of use to even though it was still humbling to this day. Now they applauded softly, like a golf clap. Most of the ladies gave up, melting into the crowd. Only two remained younger ones who were smirking at one another.

A hand on her shoulder and another closing the lid on the piano, she found Darien standing right behind her, "Oh Darien, you have quite the little songbird here. Where on Earth have you been keeping her all this time?"

Darien forced a smile, "As far away from you blue bloods as possible."

One of them laughed uncomfortably while the other sneered at the two of them. "Is this why you haven't called poor Michelle back? You should introduce the two of them. Michelle would love her."

Pulling her a bit rough, he didn't say another word to the two women, moving both of them far away from them towards the door.

His only stop before leaving was to the man who she had correctly guessed was his dad. "Father, this is Serena."

"The girl who was just playing?"

It never occurred to her that maybe the piano was off limits. Some people do keep them as decoration only. "I'm sorry, I should have asked first…"

"Nonsense, it was good to hear that old thing played again. Thank you."

Darien's father, at least, seemed to like her.

oOo

Her beauty at the piano, the one he only had memories of his mother sitting at, was overwhelming. But then he caught sight of the two women closest to Serena, recognizing them as some of Michelle's conspirators. Serena finished her song and he doubled timed it to her, fearing he had already been too late.

Slapping the piano shut, he wanted to get her up and away from the vipers. "Oh Darien, you have quite the little songbird here. Where on Earth have you been keeping her all this time?"

He forced himself to smile at the bitch, "As far away from you blue bloods as possible."

Tara laughed uncomfortably while Stephanie sneered at the two of them. "Is this why you haven't called poor Michelle back? You should introduce the two of them. Michelle would love her."

His anger came to a head and it mixed with his fear of just how Serena would take the name of another woman associated with him. They had never had the past relationships talk, his being so extensive even though none of it had been real. He probably should have told Serena about Michelle, especially with her tendency to appear randomly in his life.

He pulled her a little rough from the bench, now wanting both of them to get away from the vultures. More than that, he wanted to leave...now.

He pulled her through the crowd, only stopping to finally introduce her to his father. "Father, this is Serena."

"The girl who was just playing?"

Serena looked guilty and fidgeted. "I'm sorry, I should have asked first…"

"Nonsense, it was good to hear that old thing played again. Thank you."

"We are leaving now."

"Now? But what about the fireworks?"

"Another time."

He was firm, his father catching on, thankfully, that his mind was set.

They were silent on the way home. Fear was running through him about what she was thinking. But she didn't say a word, a trait of hers that he had learned usually meant something really bad.

He circled the block, looking for a parking spot.

"You know what, you can just drop me off out front."

His heart squeezed, fear gripping it tightly. "You don't want me to come up?"

She looked everywhere but at him, "I just don't know if that is a good idea right now."

"Serena, please, don't push me away."

Her head shook but he could still see her tears. "How can I? I don't even know you, do I? It seems there are a lot of things I don't know about you."

"Then let me come up and I will tell you."

She glared at him, tears sparkling at the edges of her eyes. "You and I both know you will just get me to sleep with you, avoiding all conversations."

"Get you to? I was under the impression that it was a mutual thing?"

"Alright, you want to tell me things? Tell me now!"

To his luck, a space opened up and he pulled in, neither of them moving after he shut the engine off. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your mother."

The question threw him. It was not the one he was expecting and she said it without hesitation,

"My mother?"

"The piano at the Hampton house, it was hers wasn't it?"

"Yes..." he didn't understand where this was going.

"So, did your mother mean nothing to you?"

"Excuse me?!"

"Or am I the one who doesn't mean anything to you? Someone important in your life dies, and you have never told me one thing about her. I figured out the piano by the looks on everyone's faces, especially your father's."

"We all thought it was her ghost…"

She was silent, watching him, gauging him. "Why don't you ever talk about her? Is it you or is it me?"

He pulled away from her stare, finding his hands shaking in his lap "I was really young..."

"I was really young too, but my parents still managed to affect me. How did she affect you?"

He tried to take a steadying breath, but it wasn't working, "I don't remember her much; just an idea of her. But I was so young, even my ideas don't make sense. I just see her as light and warmth. A light that faded away as it always does."

She offered him a sweet smile and in that moment, he realized just how much she reminded him of her, his mother; what little bit of hazy memories he did have of her, more like feelings than anything else. The way his mother made others feel and how she could light up a room, that was Serena. She had the same light and warmth as her.

Serena sat back, taking her eyes from his. "I'm almost afraid to ask this but…" oh God here it comes, now she was going to ask about Michelle, "why haven't you had me over to your apartment?"

He was thrown yet again, not the question he was expecting, "I….guess because….I always had women coming to me. I never had to try; they just threw themselves at me. Until you. It just never really occurred to me to take you there because...it didn't seem right."

"Didn't seem right."

"Yeah, like it would be wrong for me to take you there."

"And what about Michelle?"

He had been waiting for it, yet she had timed it as if to throw him on purpose. "Michelle?"

"Do you take her there? To your place?"

"Serena, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like? Explain it to me?"

She didn't sound angry, she sounded hurt. "Michelle and I have an on and off again thing…"

Her head whipped toward him. Now there was anger, "Have?"

He realized his mistake too late and now she was looking at him in a way that told him he had lost her. "Serena, I swear I haven't seen or talked to Michelle since I started seeing you officially. She's in Paris or Australia right now. Has been for a month!"

Serena held up a hand. She'd had enough. "I understand. Look, I'm not feeling well. I'd rather just be by myself tonight."

"Serena…"

"I just...I need some space. Some time to think."

He felt stuck. Every fiber of his being didn't want to let her out of that car until she believed him until she was begging him to come upstairs with her. But he was so afraid of losing her that he couldn't move, couldn't speak due to the fear of her pushing him away and running for the hills. So all he could do was let her get out of the car and leave him behind.


	6. Some Might Say, We're in Love

Ch. 6

Some Might Say, We're in Love…..

It was the second night in a row that she hadn't gotten any sleep, tossing and turning restlessly. It was the second day without Darien, him obeying her wishes and giving her space. But she hadn't been able to think about it, only causing her to break down and cry. By day three, her lack of sleep was really wearing her down, making her feel like she was getting sick. Andrew took one look at her that day and sent her home. Apparently, she looked sick too.

The last thing she needed was to be stuck at home with nothing to keep her mind off of Darien's words a few nights ago. How he had basically told her she wasn't good enough for him, not wanting to take her where he lived for that reason and that he had another woman he was waiting on. Everything about them confused her now, from the first time they met, to the first time they slept together to the last time, going on a weekend trip together, meeting his father, and learning about his past. She was even confused by their time apart in general. She wanted space, that was why she asked for it, but then he gave it to her so easily and had made no attempts to see her or speak to her. But that was what space was right? And she hadn't tried to contact him either.

By the time she got home, she no longer felt like she was getting sick. She felt like she WAS sick. Aches and chills, weakness, and fever. She took a hot shower, hoping to dispel some of the phlegm that was building behind her nose, putting pressure on her face. She had some medicine, but with her stomach empty and her lack of appetite, it was hard to take. Opening her fridge, she hoped to jump-start her belly. But nothing appealed to her in the slightest. So she made tea and resigned herself to watching reruns until she fell asleep, hoping she would feel better in the morning.

oOo

How long was he supposed to wait to give Serena enough space? It had been three days now, and each one had him closer to the edge. He had most of his staff scared of him, including Amy. His bad mood was feeding into every aspect of his life, including work.

The conversation he had with her last kept playing over and over again in his head. He had said nothing right. She had caught him off guard with her questions, and he had failed miserably with calming her fears. Instead, all he had done was hurt her.

So here he was, day four, fully crazed, pacing his office. He had given up on getting any work done a while ago. It could all wait anyways. No, now he had to figure out a way to get to Serena. Not wanting to show up at her work, he decided to call her first, give her a chance before he ambushed her. Any time he asked for space from a woman, it was his way of ending things. But he wasn't about to let things end this way with Serena. No way in hell. He wasn't ready to let go.

He gave her three chances, calling her phone and listening to it ring until it went to her voicemail. Three times he did this, feeling he had given her an opportunity to save face before he stormed out of his office.

oOo

Death. That was what she felt like. Her cold or whatever had not gotten better. Quite the opposite actually. Add nausea to the list of symptoms that had only grown stronger from just yesterday, and you have the crap she was dealing with. Tee hee, crap….dealing with crap….what a strange expression. Was that how she expressed herself? With crap? Great...now she was delusional too.

Having fallen asleep on her couch, she had to crawl to her bed, unable to move any more than that. Once under the covers, she was sweating, and out of breath, so she laid there, waiting for death to come. Her eyelids were gliding shut when her phone went off. She ignored it since it was back at the couch. No way in hell was she going back for it. No man left behind! Shut up you!

oOo

His heart sank when he got to Nectar. Serena nowhere in sight, but he spotted Andrew and Mina working the espresso machine instead, the two blondes tag teaming to make up for the one blonde that was missing. Mina saw him first but didn't say a word. Serena must have clued her into what was going on between them. She looked as though she didn't know how to feel about him at the moment. Andrew, however, appeared to be clueless.

"Good morning, Darien! Didn't expect to see you here today."

"Where's Serena?"

Now he just looked confused, "Serena's sick. She was looking pretty ragged these past few days so yesterday I sent her home. Didn't she tell you?"

"Have you heard from her?"

"I did," Mina finally made eye contact with him. "She isn't up for visitors right now."

Andrew looked between the two of them as if the subtext was written in the air between them, "Did I miss something here?"

Mina shrugged, turning away from both of them. "No, I just want to make sure that Serena's message was heard that's all."

He moved up to the counter in front of Mina. She was apparently the gatekeeper at this point, "Mina, please, I really need to talk to her."

"So, call her. Talk to her on the phone."

"She isn't answering!"

Mina stopped and looked at him confused. She pulled out her own phone and dialed what he assumed was Serena's number. When she didn't get an answer, she tried again. After the third attempt, she started to look worried, and he started heading for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

He glanced back at Andrew who looked as if he was picking up the pieces. "To check on Serena!"

"Wait! Here, take my spare key," Mina dashed after him, handing over a small silver key but stopped him before he could rush out. "Be careful."

It was a strange thing to say, but the implications were clear.

oOo

It was decided. She was going to die. And she was going to take that damned cell phone with her when she did! It just kept going off! On days when she was fine and healthy, or it was right beside her, it never rang this much! Now it wouldn't shut up!

She slowly sat up, but that didn't make a difference as the room began to sway. Now it was very clear that there was one thing she wanted to do, throw up. Flinging the covers off of her, her feet hit the floor, and everything went pear-shaped. The floor seemed to rock from side to side before her, trying to knock her off her feet. She collapsed against the bathroom door, her hand finding the knob. With a twist, she was thrown into the bathroom, her weight on the door causing it to cave in and fling her inside.

Falling to her knees, she crawled the rest of the way to her porcelain throne.

oOo

Being inside her apartment again stirred up feelings of nostalgia that made him both warm and sad at the same time. It was the first thing he noticed after he let himself in, having knocked and pounded on the door first. The second was that Serena was nowhere in sight, making his blood run cold. He heard a noise, a cough, from the back of the apartment and he seized on it.

His heart stopped at the sight of her. It had been too long since he had seen her and even in her current state, it didn't dampen the effect it had on him. She laid out on her bathroom floor in nothing but a bra and some shorts, looking up at the ceiling dazed.

"Serena?"

She lifted her head slightly to look at him, "Darien! Look, everybody, it's Darien!"

He looked around for a brief second to make sure it was in fact, just her in that bathroom, finding her alone. "Serena, who are you talking to?"

A weak hand lifted off the floor and danced around. "Everyone, of course. See guys, I told you he was handsome, didn't I?"

She was delirious. He knelt next to her, placing a hand on her head to find it scorching. "Oh god, Serena! You are so hot!"

She giggled, "Thank you! You are hot, too, Darien."

"When was the last time you ate or drank anything?"

She shook her head slowly, "Hmm, can't do that. That just makes me sick."

"Why are you on the floor?"

She shivered, "It's nice and cold, and it makes the room stop spinning…." Her eyes closed for a second, falling to sleep, but jerked back awake, "Oh great. I'm dreaming about you again."

A piece of hair fell near her eyes. He swept it away behind her ear. "You've been dreaming about me?"

Laying her head back, she stared back up at the ceiling, "Of course, I have. Wouldn't my subconscious know that already?"

"Why are you having dreams about me?"

She shrugged, "You tell me. I have no idea."

"Because you miss me."

Her eyes found his and a sad smile graced her lips. "That's true. I have missed you. So very much."

This was wrong, he was taking advantage of the situation. At this moment, she would reveal all of her deepest and darkest secrets if he let her. He needed to get her out of here, and some food into her or she would die of dehydration. Placing his hands under her neck and knees, he began to lift her off the floor. An action that seemed to wake Serena up a bit.

"What are you doing? What are you doing here?! You are not supposed to be here!"

He pulled her up off the floor and into his arms. "I know, I'm sorry. But you are sick, so I am here to take care of you."

She snuggled into his arms, grabbing onto his shirt tightly and placing her hot face in his neck. "You're so nice, Darien. I love you."

oOo

It was dark, black clouds rumbling above her. The rain began, slow at first, but picking up in earnest till she was soaked through. But she found the rain welcoming. It cooled her overheated skin and hid her tears as they streamed down her face. Her vision was blurred by them, but she could still make out two figures in the distance, their backs to her. Her parents.

Standing on weak legs, she wobbled, trying to catch up to them in vain. No matter how hard she ran, she remained still and unmoving, making no distance. Her chest hurt, pulling tight so that her breaths were rough and ragged. But kept trying, trying to catch her parents. Not to return to them, not to be a family, but to ask them 'why?'. That's all she wanted, an answer. But they couldn't even wait around to give her that.

She fell hard to her knees, the pain radiating all the way up to her spine. Her lungs burned as she sucked in the air around her. It seemed thin like it just wasn't enough. Her tears turned to sobs, making it even harder to breath.

Then, arms wrapped around her and her sobs stilled. His scent enveloped her, she felt safe and wanted. She twisted in his embrace, wanting to look at his face. Even though she knew it was him, she wanted to see his eyes. But when she found them, they turned from dark blue to black. In an instant, he released her, the shock of it causing her to fall to the ground. He left in the same direction as her parents, and no matter how hard she cried after him, he didn't turn once to look at her.

Her eyes fluttered open, finding the room she was in felt wrong. Gone were her yellows and pinks and instead there were blues and greys, all dark.

She tried to sit up, but a hand and a voice stopped her, "Ah, you're awake. That's good. But let's not sit up just yet, alright?"

She looked, finding a strange man sitting on the bed very close to her, "What?...Where am I...and who the hell are you?!"

"Please, calm down. You are safe. I am a doctor…"

"Like hell you are!" She tried to get up, but he kept pushing her back down, saying something about calming down, but she found her head was still spinning a bit, making it way too easy for this guy to manhandle her. "Get your hands off of me!"

The door at the other end of the strange room burst open, and Darien ran into the room. The strange man jumped off the bed so Darien could take his place.

"It's okay, you're okay!"

He touched her arms, pushing her back to the bed, and then her face, calming her down.

She eyed the strange man again. He was still in the room, standing off to the side with a concerned look on his face. He was older, maybe mid-40's with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was also very pale like he rarely got out to see the sun.

Darien followed her gaze and then looked back to her. "This is Dr. Jenkins. He has been helping me take care of you."

Taking his cue, the Doc took a small step closer. "You were severely dehydrated. And with your high fever...well, if Mr. Shields hadn't found you when he did, we would be looking at brain damage or even death."

Even as the Doc spoke, she kept her eyes glued to Darien's. "Where am I?"

"You are in my bedroom."

The doc touched Darien's shoulder, gaining his attention. "I have all I need for now and she's in good hands. Call me if anything changes," he stepped towards the bedside table, placing a small card on it. "And if you need anything, Ms. Sparrow, please don't hesitate to call."

He gave her a nice smile and she instantly felt guilty for attacking him. "Thank you, I'm so sorry…"

"It's quite alright. Happens more often than you think."

He left, leaving her alone with the man who was now brooding on the bed next to her. Meanwhile she didn't know how to feel. On one hand, Darien had once again saved her life. But on the other, she had been taken from her home against her wishes while unconscious, and now she was in the last place she wanted to be. In his bed. It was disturbing on its own but then you have to add in the fact that she had no memory whatsoever of the last...wait how long was she out?

"How long was I asleep?"

"Several hours."

She looked around the room again, and she found a window, but it was blocked by thick blinds, "What time is it?"

Her voice cracked as she spoke and he reached over, grabbed a glass of water and handed it to her, "6 pm."

She greedily drank down the entire glass, and he took it back from her when she was finished, a small silence falling over them. "What am I doing here, Darien?"

He looked surprised by the question. "Serena, I found you on your bathroom floor talking to the walls. You were so dehydrated, you could barely move. I brought you here so my doctor could look at you and keep you from dying."

"He couldn't do that at my place?"

"First you complain that I don't bring you here and now that you're here, you're upset?"

She pushed herself into a sitting position, even with Darien trying to keep her down. "I didn't complain, I simply pointed out a fact!"

He opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced by a knock at the door, "Come in."

At Darien's command, the door opened again and an older gentleman walked in carrying a tray. He had on a suit that was perfectly pressed, even at 6 in the evening, and his grey hairs were combed neatly on his head. He had a gentle air to him, something about him that screamed wisdom and warmth.

He placed the tray down on a small stand that Darien rose to place for the man. The tray had some broth in a bowl, the fanciest grilled cheese she had ever seen, a glass of orange juice and one of water. There was also a small daisy in a tiny vase on the side. She imagined the man sweetly placing it on the tray for her and she gave him a small smile that he returned.

"Thank you, Richard."

The man gave Darien a nod, "I'll be off if I'm not needed."

Darien nodded, giving Richard a wave and with one last smile to her, he was gone. They were alone once again, and silent.

She picked nervously at the blankets on her lap and looked down. Her clothes were gone...at least, the ones she remembered having on...but her memory was hazy at best. She now wore a large sleep shirt. It had small white buttons up the front and a soft collar. The fabric was feathery and formless with small white and blue pinstripes that ran vertically up and down it. The cuffs had been rolled up a few times so that her hands were free from the sleeves.

He must have noticed her examining her clothes, "When I found you, all you had on was a bra and some pants. I felt this was a bit more….appropriate for Dr. Jenkins and Richard to see you in."

She felt the blush on her cheeks and gave him a nod. So not only was she in his bed, she was in his shirt. He'd seen her at her lowest of lows, it would appear. Would there be anything of hers left that she wouldn't have shared with him by the end of this?

He stood, moving the tray closer to her before moving towards the door, "You should eat and get some more rest. You still have a bit of a fever. I'll just be a little ways away, so if you need anything, just shout."

The door closed behind him and she looked back at the tray of food. It all looked well prepared, but she still wasn't feeling very hungry. Now, though, she wasn't sure if it was due to her flu, or her current predicament.

oOo

Closing the door softly behind him, he only walked a few feet before Richard found him.

"Taking care of the sick now, Sir?"

"I thought you went home?"

"I'm on my way now," Richard turned, making good on his promise to leave, but then stopped short. "Didn't you make Ms. Michelle sleep in the guest room when she was sick? I remember that I was the one to take care of her, making her soup and checking in on her. Never once did anyone call her a doctor, and that was just Ms. Michelle. The others you just sent home."

"That's because Michelle only had the sniffles; allergies at best. Serena is not Michelle or any other women."

"No, sir. That she is not."

Richard left without another word, his frustration only more agitated by the nosy butler's words. Serena was almost dead when he'd found her. Of course, he'd called a doctor! Sure, he had to call his personal one so that he would come to the apartment, and he'd had to pay out of pocket because, even after he'd found Serena's insurance card, his doctor was out of her network. So what if he'd made her some food? It was just soup and a sandwich. It really wasn't a big deal.

What was really bothering him was his….'conversation' with Serena before she'd passed out.

I love you.

Her words rang out in his mind over and over again. He couldn't get them out of his head. She'd been out of her mind, her brain boiling inside of her skull, and yet her sweet voice held such sincerity and...promise.

But then, once she'd woken up, she'd had venom in her voice once again; venom towards him. It had him questioning those words and now, more than anything, he wanted to find out if she truly meant them or not.

oOo

She managed to force down half of the food, even though it was all very good. She really didn't know if her lack of appetite was her flu or her nerves.

Giving up, she set the tray to the side and looked around the room. Darien's room.

The walls were painted...or wallpapered, she couldn't really tell...a dark grey and all the furniture was a chestnut color. All of it matched the bed's headboard, the large dresser in the corner, and the two bedside tables. They all had the same design carved into them too, swirls of wood stood out like really thick vines.

The sheets were a bright white, while the comforter was a dark blue, both plain with no print of any kind on them. The sheets were impossibly soft and the comforter fluffy, something Richard undoubtedly made sure of.

Needing the bathroom, she pulled the super soft sheets off of her, finding herself in only the sleep shirt and nothing on her legs. She needed to make sure Darien didn't see her like this, at least not again since he was sure to have been the one who dressed her in the first place.

Her legs were a bit shaky, but at least the floor didn't sway like it did the last trip she'd made to the restroom. The master bathroom was even grander than the bedroom. Dark bronze tile made up the large standing shower with flecks of gold swirling around in each square. A seamless, glass door separated it from the rest of the bathroom. White subway tile on the floor, that must have been heated because her feet felt toasty as she walked barefoot across it. Marble countertop on the double sink had swirls of grey in it and dark blue walls completed the chic bathroom that was as large as her kitchen.

She wobbled a little as she made her way back to the bed and fell in, studying the room some more until she got bored. A small tv sat on top of the large dresser in the corner but she didn't see a remote anywhere. It wasn't on top of either of the nightstands where most people would leave it. She opened the drawer on the nightstand next to her but it was empty. Laying across the bed, she reached the stand on the other side, pulling it open and finding it full of all sorts of things.

The first the thing that caught her eye were the condoms, a whole roll of them tucked up inside. Of course. At least he was prepared. He always brought his own when they'd first started sleeping together. After a few weeks of her forcing him to show her negative test results, they hadn't been using them, letting her birth control take the lead. So what he still needed them at the ready for, she wasn't sure and was afraid to ask.

She pulled them out, examining them for what, she didn't know, before leaving them on top of the nightstand to search deeper. The next thing she found was a picture, but it didn't have a frame and it was face down. Flipping it over, it was faded and scratched, but it still held the happy and chubby face of one Darien Shields with a woman who must have been his mother. He looked around 5 in the picture, and the woman looked so bright and happy and...pregnant. Darien had never mentioned a sibling or how his mother had died. Maybe this was the answer.

She held the picture closer, examining the woman's face. Darien did look like her a lot. That must be why his father kept him at such a distance; same cheeks, same eyes, and same smile. Her hair was a lovely honeyed brown and her eyes twinkled with mischief, even in the photo. Keeping the picture in her hand, not feeling the need to let it go just yet, she continued to dig, rationalizing that she was just looking for the remote.

There was a tattered book, a diary it seemed. But nothing she could say to herself allowed herself to open it. That was going too far. There was another notebook, small and red, but when she saw the handwriting and a few of the words, she quickly realized she shouldn't be reading it either.

Under all of those things, was, in fact, the remote. She had just wrapped her hand around it when she heard the door open behind her. With her sickness making her slow and the fact that she had clearly been caught, she didn't even try jumping back.

"What are you doing?"

She slowly turned and held up the remote, wiggling it slightly for him to see. "I was bored."

He walked over to the small table, shoving the items back inside and shutting it quickly. "You could have just asked."

She shrugged, "Something you don't want me to see in there?" He grew silent, realization growing on his face as she held up the small photo for him to see. "This maybe?"

He held out a hand and she carefully handed it back to him, "I'm more worried about other things than a picture."

"Don't worry, I didn't read your journals if that's what you're worried about. I wouldn't do that."

She was a bit offended by the look of surprise on his face.

"Thank you," he grew silent again, looking at the picture in his hands.

"You look like her you know?" He nodded, not looking away from his little treasure, "Is that why your father is distant?"

"I guess so."

"I'm sorry."

He carefully returned the photo to its home and sat down next to her, finding her eyes quickly, "You didn't call me. You were in trouble and you didn't call."

"Was I supposed to? I told you I needed space. "

"And I gave it to you. But then you got sick and you still didn't call me. You promised me you would. Instead, I had to find you...like that."

She tore away from his gaze and focused on her fingers as they clenched the sheet in her lap, "How did you find me like that anyway?"

"I called you, but you didn't answer. So I went to Nectar and they told me you were sick. When you didn't answer Mina, she gave me your spare key."

"Oh no, I need to call Mina!"

She tried to get up but he stopped her. "I already did. She knows everything that happened and will be here tomorrow with some of your clothes."

"My clothes? I'm not staying here."

"Yes, yes you are. You are going to stay here until the doctor gives you the okay to leave and be on your own again. However, after the state I found you in, I'm not sure you are capable of living without supervision."

"I can take care of myself, Darien!"

"Yeah, I noticed when I had to pull your lifeless body out of your apartment!"

She glared at him, crossing her arms and looking away for fear that if she continued her stare, she would pounce him and either beat the shit out of him or end up fucking him. Or both. He grew silent and she refused to be the one to speak first or even look at him.

"Look….the other night...I misspoke."

She huffed, still focusing on the mystery door beside the dresser, figuring it for a closet. "Sure you did."

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him and when she did, she found him unbearably close to her, "Your questions...I should have answered them long ago, so you didn't need to ask. But when you did, it threw me. I just wasn't prepared for them and I fumbled my words. I'm sorry."

He released her, sitting back and giving her some much-needed space from him. "So what did you mean to say?"

He let out a sigh, wanting to get this off his chest for who knows how long. "I meant to say that, I never brought you here because, it felt wrong…" she started to get up, to get away from him but he grabbed her and held her still, "It felt wrong to bring you here because I brought all those other women here. I never went to their homes. I wanted it to be different from you. It has always been different with you, from the very beginning," she sat back and he let go. "And I wanted to be at your place. It is so warm and sweet, like you. I love waking up there, next to you in that tiny bed, naked," her face got red hot and she had to look away from him, "It was never out of embarrassment or anything malicious, why I didn't bring you here. But you are right, I should have."

Guilt rose up in her chest, feeling foolish, "I keep forgetting you are new at this, I guess."

"Yes, you do."

Finding his eyes again, she saw that they were just as dark as she remembered, "And Michelle?"

"Michelle?"

"You don't….do you still…"

"What? See her? Sleep with her?" She was silent, letting that be her answer. "Of course I don't!"

"But she's away right now…"

"Doesn't matter, I'm with you." She nodded, turning her gaze back to the sheets she now twisted in her fingers. "Do you remember anything you said when you were on your bathroom floor?"

She concentrated, trying to remember anything before waking up in this bed, but it was all a haze of white noise. "No. Did I say something important?"

He looked like he was thinking about it before shrugging it off. "No, not really."

The remote sat on the bed between them and she carefully picked it up, debating whether or not she even needed it now that Darien was there. But he soon stood, planning on making his exit.

"I'm going to go. I'll be in the guest room. It's just down the hall on the right but if you need anything, just yell. I'll hear you."

His voice was sad and small and it made her heartache.

After a shower and flipping through the channels for hours, she still found that sleep evaded her. Her hair had dried long ago, that was just how long she had been up. Being this close to Darien was not good. It was making it harder for her to hold herself back, but what did she have to hold back from? He'd done better explaining himself this time, meaning he had taken the time to think about her. All that meant was that he had taken the time to carefully craft his responses.

She clicked off the tv and laid back in the dark room. The bed smelled like him, which was not helping. He'd given her the space she'd asked for. Even now, in his own house, he still was. He had come to her rescue three times and now he had given up his bed for her. What more did she really need? An engraved invitation?

He said the door on the right, but she had opened two so far that were not it. But the third time's the charm, opening the door to a room that was half the size of the master, but still a large size.

He slept, face down in the middle of the bed. His head was turned away from the door, letting her see only the dark tuff of his hair on top of the green sheets. His back was bare, the sheet only covering his waist down, and it rose and fell steadily. She wasn't sure now if she should or could go through with her plans.

Hesitating for only a moment, her heart throbbed in her chest and she knew she couldn't wait any longer.

Letting her fingers graze his skin, she ran them along his shoulder down his back. He shifted quickly, grabbing her hand before looking up to see her, confusion mixing with sleep on his face. Releasing her instantly, he rolled over to look at her better as if he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not. But then he just stared, watching her, waiting. This was her decision, her move.

Her hands shook as they moved to the tiny buttons on the front of her borrowed shirt, getting only two undone before the bed started moving before her. His hands grabbed hers, stopping her and she tried to hold back the tears that threatened at his rejection. He sat on the edge of the bed before her, a leg on either side of hers, looking up at her. He slowly pulled her hands away, forcing her to release the button still in her hands.

She took a step back, wanting nothing more than to run from the room and never look back. But he stopped her, grabbing her hips and pulling her back to him. His hands went up to the buttons in her place and continued her work. He had them undone in half the time it would have taken her, his hands going up under the material to her back. His kissed all that he could reach, her stomach, hips, and lowering himself a little to kiss her thighs. He stopped for a moment, placing a love bite on her hip, before taking off her underwear, leaving only the shirt loosely hanging on her shoulders.

Holding onto her, he lowered both of them to the bed, dropping backward so his back hit the bed first and she laid on top of him. His mouth finally made it to hers, showing her just how much he missed her as she returned his passion in kind. His briefs still separated them so she reached down, his mouth still on hers, and pulled him free, shifting her hips to push them together.

He groaned loudly into her mouth, moving to her shoulder and biting it with a gentle force. She pushed off of him, sitting up and rocking back and forth, his moans getting louder and louder with each of her thrust.

Before either of them were close, he threw her off of him. She bounced on the bed next to him while he quickly jumped off the bed completely. He threw his briefs to the floor and she rose to remove the shirt the rest of the way. He ripped it from out from under her and threw it across the room. Then he grabbed her ankles, tossing them so she spun on the bed, laying the full length of the bed with her head on the pillows, before joining her again.

oOo

Fear gripped his heart until he turned over, finding her laying next to him fast asleep. Upon waking still in the guest bed, he thought he had dreamed it all. But with her slumbering face next to him and their clothes on the floor, he knew it had been real.

His heart slowed and he rolled back to his side, perfectly happy with the idea of going back to sleep. That is until a small arm wrapped itself over his waist. Her chin on his shoulder, she had her mouth at his ear.

"Good morning."

She was purring in his ear while her hand made circles, her fingers playing with the hair of his 'happy trail'. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

Her hand was slowly making its way down. This conversation would turn very soon. "Mmmm better than I have in days."

"And how do you feel? Better?"

She grabbed him in her hand, her fingers squeezing tightly around him. "Better, thank you."

He sucked in a breath, trying to focus as she slowly stroked him. "I think that is the first time you have thanked me since I brought you here."

"Really?" She released him and pressed his shoulder, pushing him onto his back and then climbing on top of him, straddling him. "How rude of me. Well, let me make sure to do it properly then."

He tried to hold on, but between bouncing hips and breasts, there was no hope. He gripped her thighs, his release coming fast and hard. She slowed as he finished, rolling off of him to lay at his side. She wore a cocky grin as he regained focus in his eyes.

His eyes still trained on the ceiling, she snuggled up to his neck, whispering softly. "Thank you."

She got up, disappearing into the bathroom for a moment. He rallied while she cleaned herself up, returning a few short minutes later to lay beside him again. As she laid with her back to him, she acted as if she were actually going to go back to sleep, which he couldn't allow.

"And just what are you doing?"

She let out a fake yawn, "I'm taking a nap. I'm sick, you know."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her backside tight to him. "You don't act sick."

"Cough cough."

Her antics caused him to laugh but he quickly regained focus, letting his hand slide down her stomach till he hit gold. Her breath hitched in her throat and her head rolled back against his chest. She was just letting out a long moan when a knock came to the door.

She squeaked, pulling the covers over herself. He chuckled but didn't stop even as she tried to push his hand away. He pushed her onto her back, keeping his hand between her legs.

"Yes?"

The door cracked but didn't open all the way. "Good morning, sir. I'm afraid I have some troubling news. Miss Sparrow is missing."

She turned her head, biting the pillow next to her as his thumb circled her folds. He stifled a chuckle. "She is, is she? That willful girl, probably snuck out somewhere, sick and all."

Her eyes went wide before her head went back, her back arching uncontrollably at his will, "Well then I will call off the search party then."

Richard already knew where she was, that's why he didn't open the door all the way, he was digging again, "Is there anything else, Richard?"

"Yes, a Miss Mina is on her way up with some of Miss Sparrow's things. Shall I send her away?"

"Richard.."

"Alright sir. I will have her wait in the kitchen, where the coffee and carbs are."

The door shut and Serena started smacking his arm, but he just laughed, pulling her legs apart and climbing in between.

oOo

Darien sauntered ahead of her, pulling her along by the hand, still clad in his briefs while she was in his sleep shirt. Once back in his room, he pulled out two pairs of sweatpants, handing her one then pulling on the other. She had to roll the waist up several times to make them stay and not cover her feet but they would do for the few minutes she needed them between now and getting her clothes from Mina.

Once finished, Darien swept her up in his arms, gently pressing her to the door and kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, letting him press against her hard, even with her stomach still feeling a bit off. He released her mouth, looking into her eyes and searching.

"What are you looking for?"

He shook his head slowly, "Nothing you just...seem different."

"Different? Different bad?"

"No. It's definitely good, whatever it is. Maybe I just missed you too much."

"It was four days, Darien. Not even that long."

"And that was long enough."

"I missed you too."

He closed the gap between their mouths, kissing her gently and slowly as if he were trying to preserve the moment as long as he could.

Mina sat at the kitchen island, a huge piece of marble on a large wooden mount. The kitchen was made up of gleaming stainless steel and black and white stones. A sink and a six element gas range sat in the island with six bar stools across from them. Richard stood on the opposite side of the stools in front of the sink washing something. Across the island was a large pot of coffee and cups, cream and sugar, bagels, danishes, cream cheese, bacon, orange juice and water in large carafes, and some oranges and apples.

Darien was behind her, pushing and steering her around till she stood next to Mina in front of the banquet. Mina was picking at a danish, a cup of coffee cooling next to her plate.

She gave her a hug before Mina pulled back, looking her up and down. "Well, you don't look sick."

"But I am. Almost died of dehydration."

Darien made his way around the island, coming to stand near Richard. Their eyes met at her words, something flashed in his eyes before he turned away but it was too quick for her to even begin to understand.

"I know. Darien told me. But you look really good, especially for someone who was knocking on death's door just yesterday."

"I feel good," she picked up a piece of bacon, but as the smell of it hit her nose, she felt a wave of nausea and had to set it back down, earning a look from Mina. "Still not 100% though."

Darien walked around behind her, placing a glass of orange juice in front of her. His hand on her hip, he kissed the back of her head before walking himself and his coffee over to the small table that sat a few feet away, picking up the paper that laid on top of it as he sat.

"Maybe you were just lovesick."

She turned back to find Mina grinning at her. "Maybe."

She rolled the small suitcase that Mina brought her back into Darien's room. It wasn't that small of a suitcase and it had her wondering just how long Mina thought she was going to be staying there.

She opened it up, dug through, and had to stop herself from chasing after Mina. The suitcase was filled with her nicest panty sets, the few teddies that she owned, a few pairs of heels, and the shortest pair of cloth shorts she owned along with a cami she had from high school she used when it was laundry day and she was out of bras. None of it was wearable especially with Richard walking around!

She probably hadn't made it too far, maybe the lobby. She could catch her and wring her neck for sure.

Without warning, the orange juice and bagel she managed to get down had decided to not sit well. Standing still, she tried to take settling breaths in hopes of keeping her food inside of her. But it wasn't working. She ran to the bathroom, making it just in time.

She sat back on her heels, remaining still and hoping it was all over. "So you are still sick."

To her horror, he stood in the doorway to the bathroom, and she had no idea how long he had been there, "Go. Go away. I don't want you to see me like this."

But he didn't listen, grabbing a washcloth out of the closet and wetting it before handing it to her, "I told you. I'm going to take care of you."

She swiftly shut the toilet and flushed it, wishing she had done so before he had gotten so close, "You should stay away from me so you don't get sick, too."

He brushed a sweaty strand of hair away from her face. "You need a shower."

"Gee thanks," he started to unbutton her shirt but she slapped his hands away. "I can do it, I can do it."

He chuckled, standing up before her and pulling his white undershirt off. She paused for a moment, taking the time to look him over and watch him as he shed his pants and briefs before stepping into the shower and turning on the water. Then he looked back at her, waiting.

At least Mina had been kind enough to pack her some of her necessities. She pulled out the hair and toothbrush, returning to the sink and mirror in the bathroom. Darien sat on the bed, towel around his waist while rubbing his hair with a smaller hand towel. She knew when he was finished because she could feel his eyes on her.

She turned to him once she finished brushing her teeth, starting on her hair, "You want to take a picture?"

He smirked, "Take off that towel and I will."

She huffed, turning back to the mirror, "I know better."

She set down her brush and returned to her suitcase, a dismal feeling coming over her as she surveyed its contents again, "You feeling nauseous again?"

Looking over, she saw the concern on his face and decided not to tell him she hadn't stopped, "No, just Mina's offerings are leaving me...lacking."

"Lacking?" He leaned up, looking inside and laughing as he fell back to the head of the bed, "I should let her pack for you more often."

"Come on, Darien, this is serious. What am I going to wear with your man Richard walking around all day? What am I going to wear home tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Tomorrow is Sunday, meaning the next day is Monday, a work day," she grabbed a fistful of lace and underwire, holding it up in his face "Can't exactly go to work in this now can I?"

He grimaced at the thought of her walking around for others to see not sitting well with him either. Hopping off the bed, he kissed the back of her head on his way out the door. She eyed her dark purple and lace panty set, deciding to at least have her breast properly dressed. Then she pulled out the shorts, planning on pairing them with one of Darien's shirts. She tucked the front of his undershirt into the shorts so they didn't disappear then began braiding her hair, expecting to be trapped in Darien's room until she figured out something else to wear on the way home.

"Is that my shirt?"

She turned around, finding Darien walking back into the room, looking her up and down like a pervert. "Yes, but I figured you wouldn't mind."

"And what if I do?"

"So," she grabbed up a teddy and held it up, "You want me to walk around like this in front of Richard? Or are you going to keep me locked up in this room the whole time?"

"Well that sounds like a plan to me, but I sent Richard home, gave him the rest of the weekend off." He walked over to her, taking the teddy out of her hand and looking it over. "So how about you slip into one of these for me then?"

She rolled her eyes, walking past him and out the door, making her best guess and finding the living room. By the looks of it, she would guess that what she found was actually the informal living room or game room because it was dark with plush looking armchairs and a long couch. They were covered in a worn dark, brown leather and had fluffy white pillows spread out sporadically around. The dark wood flooring that ran through the entire apartment (so far) continued in this room but had a dark red carpet with dark, burnt orange and yellow stripes through it covering most of the floor. Thick curtains hung, blocking out a majority of the sun and a large tv was attached to the wall across from the couch.

Finding the remote that looked like it belonged to the tv, she flicked it on, finding a movie channel and not caring too much what was actually on. Then she slid across the couch tucking a pillow under her arms and head. She laid like that for several minutes, undisturbed.

"You're killing me."

She turned and looked up at him as much as she could, catching his stare and looking back at herself, noting that her already short shorts had pushed up, even more, leaving half of her butt cheeks exposed. But seeing the look on his face emboldened her so she turned onto her side and beckoned him to join her. He didn't hesitate.

oOo

It was getting closer and closer to Sunday when Serena would leave. Every time he thought about her rolling her little suitcase out the door, his heartbeat with almost unbearable pain. He knew that, even when she left Sunday, he would see her again. But his heart was not being rational. They had only been together two months, but it was the longest relationship he had ever had. Hell, it was the only relationship he had ever had.

She was sleeping in front of him on the couch, their clothes still scattered everywhere. She shivered and he pulled her closer, wrapping the afgan from across the back of the couch around them.

He had never used the couch like that but he had to say it was definitely a new favorite, the armrests and back of the couch giving both of them the leverage they hadn't had before. Even with their skin sticking to the leather, it was still amazing.

Serena had her mouth parted slightly, her pink lips slack as her breath passed through. He carefully checked her temperature, placing a hand on her forehead, glad to find it only slightly elevated. More likely a result of their previous bout. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed from it as well.

I love you

His heart raced as her words echoed in his mind. More than anything, he wanted her to mean it. Over the years, plenty of women had said those words to him, but Serena was the first woman he actually wanted to hear it from. He really wanted her to love him. When she woke up, he was going to ask her, point blank.

She started stirring and he did his best to calm himself, reminding himself that he wanted to know, needed to.

But then she didn't wake, she just kept tossing more and more till he had to hold her down to keep her from falling off the couch.

"No, please….don't go."

He held onto her tightly, speaking calmly into her ear, "It's okay, shhhh, it's okay."

She continued to thrash but with some more calming words and stroking her back, she calmed down, snuggling deeper into his arms. She was crying now, feeling her tears against his chest, but she was still asleep, whispering.

"Darien...please...I love you, don't go."

oOo

When she woke up, she was feeling better, actually having an appetite. Actually, she was starving. Darien was missing and so were his clothes. She pulled her underwear and shirt back on to begin her search.

He was bumbling around in the kitchen, clad in his light grey sweatpants from earlier but no shirt. It was sexy.

He was in the middle of chopping something when he finally noticed her, setting the knife down with a clink. "Seriously? I'm trying to chop here."

"What?" She said, genuinely confused.

He picked the knife back up, using it to point towards her "You! Dressed like that!"

The shirt fell to her mid-thigh but she also wasn't wearing a bra, something the shirt did little to hide, "Would you rather I go put on one of those teddies?"

He shook his head, still trying to concentrate on the vegetables and his knife. "I'm afraid I'd lose a finger. Speaking of which, how come I have never seen those before?!"

She shrugged, "You never gave me a chance to put anything on. You always focus on taking things off."

She watched as his jaw flexed, her reminder of any and all of the times they had been naked together flashing through his mind at her words. She didn't understand this new found power she had over him, but she liked it.

Leaning over the island from her stool, she looked at the mix of foods on his cutting board, "What are you making?"

He fumbled slightly, almost cutting himself and she quickly sat back. "Teriyaki. You hungry?" She nodded, wanting to keep her distance while he held a knife. "Good. You must be feeling better then."

He set the knife down and she went in for a strike. "Yeah, I must have sweated it out."

He fumbled, dropping a few of the veggies to the floor instead of the hot wok that he had been carrying them to.

She giggled, getting off her stool and helping him pick them up, "What is with you? You have said way more perverse things to me!"

"Nothing."

He wouldn't look at her which only confused her more. She left him to his cooking and went over to the fridge, opening it up and looking around inside. It was all so perfectly organized it was ridiculous.

She pulled out the small carton of milk and set it on the counter next to her. "Do you have any chocolate syrup?"

"I don't think so…..Why?"

"Ug, I would kill for some chocolate milk right now."

"Serena...would you like to move in with me?"


	7. When it Hits the Fan

Ch. 7

When it all hits the fan...

She just stared at him, a mixture of shock and confusion on her beautiful face. With his continuing apprehension of her departure, and her telling him she loved him for the second time, it seemed like the obvious choice. True, she'd been delirious the first time and asleep the second, but he had no doubts now - she was in love with him.

But now she had been silent for far too long and he was starting to get nervous. "Look, you don't have to decide right away. We can...test it out first. You can keep some of your things here...and I can keep some things at your place," she was still silent, watching him spin. "And if you don't like it here, then maybe we could get a new place together…..something we pick out together. I...I know you don't have a lot and that...you will want to help pay. I'm sure we can figure something out….." she moved, silencing him with a kiss, wrapping their arms around one another. After a moment, she pulled away. "Is that a yes?"

She nodded, "That is a yes...to a test. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? We can keep stuff at each others' places first."

He gave her a nod. It wasn't the answer he was hoping for but he was satisfied nonetheless. They would still spend every night together; it would just be split between their two homes.

oOo

What was funny was how it seemed a lot easier for her to spend time at Darien's than it was for him to stay at hers. They both got up at the same time, but Darien had a routine and his morning runs were a bit strained at her place, having to run on the streets instead of central park.

That, and his 'uniform' required more than hers, but it was nice, waking up to one another every morning and not feeling rushed no matter what bed they fell asleep in.

Darien had a late meeting that night, begging to switch her night to his. So now she was wandering around his vast apartment, trying to occupy herself until he got home. Richard was cooking something for dinner. Catching whiffs of it as she got closer, it smelled delicious. Peppers, onions, and….beef.

All at once, she needed a bathroom, and quick. Stumbling down the hall, she ducked into the first one she knew and heaved. It had been this way for two weeks now, the flu holding onto her stomach still, and it didn't seem to have a time period or reason behind it. Sometimes, she threw up as soon as she got up in the morning and then she felt fine the rest of the day. Other times, like today, it would hit her at random. Many times it was brought on by food, beef in particular. For some reason, her flu had something against it. All she had to do was smell it, and she was running for the toilet. It was getting harder to keep it from Darien, too, especially with it being so unpredictable.

Holding her breath, she rushed past Richard, gave him a quick wave, and ran back to Darien's room to fish out Dr. Jenkins' card. Hopefully, a short conversation about her symptoms would allow him or the nurse to give her a helpful suggestion.

oOo

The day had been never-ending. It started out well enough, meeting with their real estate agents who presented locations for the new Nectar locations. It meant he had an excuse to visit Nectar, showing Andrew the possible locations and discussing them. Not that he needed an excuse but it did give him a better explanation of his missing time when he pulled Serena into the staff bathroom. He loved it when she wore skirts to work.

Now he was suffering through the bi-monthly shareholders' meeting, listening to them bitch and moan on for hours about how to push their stocks into even higher amounts. He seriously didn't give a flying fuck, but he had to play nice and pretend. The company's stocks had been steadily climbing for years. There was no reason to mess with something that wasn't broken, which his father assured them all of, yet again.

Finally, he entered his home, his eyes instantly seeking out his blonde. Lisa was playing her music again, only this time, it was way too loud. He searched for the source, planning on laying into her as his headache was already suffering, but then he found both Richard and Lisa standing in a doorway doing nothing. Once caught, they scattered, Richard, giving him a look as he passed.

He felt like an idiot as he watched her, sitting at the piano that had never been played in his home. Of course, it was Serena playing, her lithe body swaying while her voice filled the entire apartment. It was shocking, such a small woman having such a large voice. He took over Richard's spot, leaning against the door frame as he watched her.

He didn't recognize the tune she was playing, and he wished he knew well enough to tell if that was because it was hers or if it was because he was out of it. Then the tune changed, making a full stop into something else. This one sounded familiar, the memory of it tickling his brain. when she started singing.

"I always feel like, somebody's watching me...and I get no privacy"

He chuckled, Serena, turning around to face him with a bright smile. "Well, that's what you get for playing in my apartment, especially that loud. Letting loose?"

She shrugged, "Such a beautiful piano, it was begging to be played. I didn't want to insult it by going half-assed at it."

"No, no we wouldn't want that."

Out of nowhere, she blanched. "I'm sorry, I should have asked."

He stepped up to her, grabbing her face and kissing her hard but releasing her quickly. "No, you never need to ask."

Her hand ran across the top of the piano lovingly. "It was your mother's wasn't it?"

It surprised him, her insight into him. "Yes…."

"That's why you never play it?" Now he was starting to get scared. "Richard gave you up. He told me all about you playing with your mom. How she taught you everything about the piano, and how a few years after her death you stopped. Around the time your father remarried?"

"His first of many new wives, yes."

"Why did you stop?" She stared up at him, her eyes watching his face, and he traced a hand around her jaw.

"It just didn't seem right, filling the house with the music she gave me while another woman slept in her bed," he took his hand from her, placing it on the piano behind her, the dark wood smooth under his touch. "His fifth wife wanted to throw this piano out into the trash. It didn't go with her ideal decor, but I was able to save it. So now here it sits, waiting to be played," he looked back at her, her eyes watching him, "waiting for you."

Her hand threaded through his free one, bringing it to her lips and kissing his knuckles, an action that nearly brought him to his knees. "Will you play for me?"

Her voice was so tiny and pleading. Just like the voice, she used the night she dreamed of him, begging him to stay and telling him she loved him. He couldn't say no to that voice.

Sitting next to her, he found it was just like riding a bike, the muscle memory in his fingers guiding themselves over the keys. He didn't even remember the name of the tune or who it was by, but it was what he knew and could play the best. It was his mother's favorite.

He only played half of it, it was a rather long piece, but Serena lapped up what he gave her. "Beautiful; Beethoven's 'Moonlight Serenade'. My favorite."

She lifted her fingers to the keys, picking up where he'd left off, but playing much better than him in his opinion. She was glowing as her fingers glided over the instrument, truly like an angel.

The song finished and he pulled her into his lap. He buried his face in her chest as it was right in front of him begging for attention, nipping and sucking while her hands tried to pry him off.

"Lisa and/or Richard could walk in here any second!"

He used his nose to push the neckline of her shirt down, digging his way to more and more of her flesh. "They will be leaving any minute now." He slid his hand under her skirt, feeling his way up to her hip until he found what he was looking for. Or rather, not finding it. "Never did find your panties, did you?"

She slapped at his hand. "No! I had to go around without them all day, thanks to you!"

"You're home. Now, what's your excuse?"

She turned away, blushing madly. "I forgot."

A growl came from deep in his throat. "Liar."

He slapped the lid shut on the piano and hoisted her up onto it. Sitting back down on the bench before her, he put her legs on his shoulders, one on each side of his head. Then he lifted her skirt, ducking his head underneath it.

oOo

His picking at his food did not go unnoticed by her. She was having no problem as long as she skipped the beef, pushing it to the sides out of her way.

The two of them sat side by side on stools at the island. He had one of his feet on the footrest of her stool while she had both her feet on his.

She peeked up at him again, seeing he had barely made a dent. "Are you not hungry?"

His eyes didn't leave his plate but a smirk appeared on his face, "Yeah, sorry. I just ate."

Her face burned and he chuckled while she swatted him. "Don't be gross!"

"I've just got a lot on my mind that's all."

"Want to talk about it?"

He looked over at her and her plate. "Something wrong with the beef? I thought you loved cow?"

She pushed at a piece again, the thought of eating it was enough to make her queasy, "I just...don't like it in this dish I guess," she pointed her fork at him dangerously, "and you are dodging."

He pushed his food, shoveling a decent amount onto his fork, "I was just thinking about us. About our arrangement. I think it's going well, don't you?"

She chuckled, "I guess if you think it is, it must be."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I see how you struggle in the morning at my place. What with your run through the city streets and the sloppiness of your suits. Staying with me is not nearly as easy for you as you try to make me think it is."

"Have I complained?"

She shrugged, "No."

"Then it must not be a problem."

She was grinning at him, his eyes still on his plate, "Or you are ignoring it to please me."

He set down his fork, looking into her eyes, "Now why would I do that?" Turning her attention back to her plate, she shrugged, not answering his question. "Could it be that I enjoy being with you more than any of those...petty issues you mentioned?"

He laid a kiss on her neck, pulling her stool even closer to him so he could wrap an arm around her waist. "I didn't consider them petty."

"Well thank you for your concern, but I am perfectly happy with the way things are."

A movie played in the background but her mind was elsewhere. Her call to Dr. Jenkins had not gone as she hoped, ending with her having to make an appointment for Monday. Which meant another two days of suffering just to find out what was wrong with her.

Darien laid across the couch, his head in her lap while she absentmindedly played with his hair. He was almost asleep but she really needed to get up, gently lifting his head and escaping.

Leaving the bathroom, she took a look around the room, going over to her drawers. She had left one of her teddies here, planning on wearing it for Darien sometime. She picked it up, the black lace creating shapes on the floor from the light above. In between the gaps left by the lace was a sheer black mesh, keeping the skin from being completely exposed to the air. Darien may have been ready for bed, but she was nowhere close to being tired yet.

Tiptoeing, for what reason she wasn't sure, she made her way back to the living room. She tried to move as quickly as possible, worried that by the time she got there, Darien would be fast asleep. And her sexy teddy would go to waste.

Coming to the doorway, she found him propped up on his arm still laying across the couch. Leaning against the frame, she waited for him to notice her. It took a few seconds, but his eyes finally made their way to her, going wide as soon as they did.

She remained still, letting him take her in. She didn't put anything on underneath the teddy, even with it's 'holes' which meant her nipples were barely covered. But the look on his face was worth it.

Not wanting to have him hyperventilate, she sauntered over to him, her hair swishing against her back as she walked. He watched her, his eyes never leaving her form even as he sat up on the couch.

She stood in front of him, arms crossed, waiting. He didn't make her wait long, standing up to meet her and claiming her lips hungrily. The force of his mouth on hers pushed her back so far, she had to hold onto him to keep from falling to the floor. He pushed a little harder, causing them to lower the rest of the way down. He placed himself gently on top of her, the plush carpet at her back.

His mouth left hers, searching her body with a slowed intensity compared to any other time they had had sex. His hands rubbed down her front, the feeling of his hands as they peeked through the lace only increasing their effect. With his mouth nibbling on her neck and his hands on her breast, his thumbs stroking her nipples, she more than ready to take him in.

Everything stopped, and his face appeared before her, looking in her eyes and searching her face. He stroked her jaw, still watching her eyes and then slowly lowered his mouth to hers again, the kiss lacking the fever the last ones had. He slowed all movements, taking his time with everything, savoring it all.

He worked his way down, getting up on his knees as he made a trail down her with his mouth. Sitting up, he removed his shirt and then his pants, moving back up to her mouth, naked. Now he laid on top of her, still not taking her. He cupped her cheek, his tongue dancing with hers in a pleasurable manner. But she wasn't sure what he was waiting for.

Taking control, she flipped them over, climbing on top of him. His hands rested on her thighs, encouraging her as he squeezed them hard. But she matched his earlier pace, slowly sliding him inside her, watching him as she did. His eyes tried to stay on her but the intensity of their connection was too much, causing him to thrust his head backward.

She leaned over, grabbing his head and forcing him to look at her, "I want you to enjoy the view."

She sat back, pushing him fully inside her and rocked on top of him. His eyes didn't leave her again.

He was close when he flipped them back over, pushing her teddy up high, bunching the material around her waist. Placing one of her legs on his shoulders, a strong arm on either side of her head, he took them both to the finish line swiftly with his powerful thrust.

Laying on top of her, they both caught their breath. But before she was breathing regularly, he got up, lifting her with him and throwing her over his shoulder, heading for the bedroom.

oOo

Even after his morning run, she was still sprawled out across the bed. Laying on her chest, the only thing hiding her was the sheet over her ass. She had a leg hanging off the side of the bed. Guess he really wore her out last night. But she asked for it, wearing that teddy.

He was hoping she would be up by now, joining him in a shower. He would be late if he waited any longer.

Fully dressed, fixing his tie, he watched her as she had yet to stir. Truly the only thing that proved she was still alive was the rise and fall of her back as she breathed. Leaning over, he pulled her hair back to find her face and planted a kiss on her cheek before being forced to leave. Knowing she would be here when he got back was enough to get him through the day.

The damn board had called for yet another meeting, and on a Saturday too. These were the people who spent all day at home doing nothing but watching the stock market from their comfy beds. Sure, he and his father could do the same, owning the majority of Strom, but that was all the more reason to come to work. He still didn't see why he had to listen to anything they said, especially since he knew they would be ignoring him anyway.

He had plans to work on the Nectar project while they prattled on.

Amy sat at her desk, forced to come in on a weekend, as well. "Sorry about this Amy."

She shrugged, "Didn't have anything else better to do today anyway."

He did.

Amy held out a clipboard, a delivery slip needing his signature. "What's the date today?"

"July 28th."

"July 28th….something about today...something I think I was supposed to remember…"

oOo

Waking up to an empty bed was starting to become regular for her, and she was doing her best to get used to it. Along with her morning nausea that hit as soon as she sat up in the bed. Not even taking the time to wrap a sheet around her, she ran to the bathroom.

After her shower and a glass of water, she was feeling better, back to normal as usual. She almost preferred the morning nausea. At least she got it all over with and could enjoy the rest of the day. She rarely got sick again if she had it in the morning.

Sticking to a bagel and coffee, she sat out on the 'terrace', otherwise known as the balcony. The sun was just starting to get hot but she enjoyed the feeling of the heat on her skin.

Her phone rang beside her as she took the final sips of her cool coffee, "Hello Mina."

"You wouldn't happen to know why I found a pair of underwear wedged behind the towel paper dispenser in the employee bathroom would you?"

She was glad this conversation was over the phone, otherwise, Mina would have seen her wicked blush, "Nope, no clue."

"So where are you and your man going to go when me and my new beau have the bathroom occupied?"

"You're seeing someone? Seeing someone seriously?"

"Yes seriously! How else do you see a person?"

"Well, you never seem very serious about them."

"What are you doing right now?"

She looked around herself. Clearly, she was doing nothing, "Not a whole lot."

"Good. Meet me for lunch."

She really didn't feel up for going anywhere today. All she wanted to do was stay in the air-conditioned apartment and wait for Darien to get home. But she hadn't been spending a lot of time with Mina or anyone else for that matter lately.

"Okay."

Meeting with Mina had been fun, but now as she sweat her way back home, she was regretting it. At least, she was regretting agreeing to meet on the other side of town. The heat had her exhausted and her nausea acting up.

The cold air was welcomed wholly by her as she walked through the lobby. She gave the doorman a nod, passing through without a single pause. When she got into the elevator, she wasn't alone. A tall, thin woman with bright red hair pulled into a tight bun was in there with her. Even in the heat, the woman looked immaculate while she looked a hot mess. The woman's green eyes looked her over, a smirk appearing on her face. Serena was pretty sure the woman wasn't thinking nice thoughts about her.

She and the woman ended up getting off on the same floor. The woman got out before her in a rush while Serena took her time, still digging for her keys.

When she found them and looked up from her purse, the woman was standing in front of Darien's door, ringing the bell.

"Can I help you?"

The women turned, looking her up and down again. The two of them couldn't be more complete opposites. While Serena wore a chocolate maxi skirt, white tank, peasant sandals, chunky teal jewelry, and a small brimmed hat, the woman had on a tight red dress that had thick straps and ended at her knees with 4-inch heels on. She had ruby red lipstick that matched her dress and perfect makeup to match her perfect outfit. Serena wore nothing.

After a minute of sizing one another up, the woman sneered, "Oh my, you must be her. Serena. The one Darien brought to 4th of July. Wow, Tara and Stephanie weren't kidding. Darien really is slumming it!"

"And just who the hell are you?"

She held out her hand expectantly. "I'm Michelle...the girlfriend."

"Girlfriend to whom?"

Michelle shook her head, dropping her unshook hand and sucking her teeth, "Look, I'm going to help you out here and save you a lot of embarrassment. Darien and I...we go way back. And he always comes back to me. We are on and off again when I go out of town, we are off, but when I'm in town...you can see where I'm going with this. Anyways, we have an understanding that while I'm away the boy can play. And he played with you. I'm sure it was fun while it lasted, but save yourself the grief of having to hear from Darien himself. Trust me, I've seen it a few times. It is not pretty."

Darien had mentioned Michelle but all he said really was he wasn't with her while they were together. "Then...why did Darien ask to move in with me?"

Michelle looked shocked for a second but then laughed. "Oh my, is he still using that old line? I guess it's a classic for a reason."

The door opened, Richard coming to the bell, but she wanted to be anywhere but here. Turning, she took off down the hall, hearing Richard call after her but ignoring him.

oOo

Things could not get worse. Now that somebody had fucked up, he had to go to Pennsylvania to fix it. Glancing down at his phone he saw a message from Serena,

Going out to meet Mina for lunch

That meant she probably wouldn't be there when he got home. Great, more good news. As he waited for the elevator to reach his floor, he wondered if there was any way to get Serena to come with him; make it a little trip for them.

The apartment was quiet when he entered, meaning Serena was definitely not here. There was no one in sight. Not even Richard.

He entered his bedroom, catching a shift in the bed as he turned to enter the closet. Maybe he had been wrong and Serena was here, playing a little hide and seek.

"If you are not naked under there, you better get naked."

She didn't answer him and he hoped that meant she either was or would soon be nude. He was taking off his tie when she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I was afraid you wouldn't be here when I got home."

"I wouldn't miss greeting you home."

He flicked the arms off him turning at the voice that was most definitely not Serena's, finding Michelle, "What the fuck...what are you doing here?" She took a step back and he realized she was completely naked. "Jesus, Michelle, put some clothes on before…"

"Before what? Before Serena sees me?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah! Now get dressed and get out!"

She shuddered, a tear slipping down her cheek, "I thought we meant more to one another than that Darien. You don't have to be so cruel!"

Always quite the little actress. He pushed past her and back out into the main room, "You show up, naked, in my home, knowing I'm seeing someone, and you expect me to be gentle about it?"

"I didn't know…"

"The hell you didn't! Tara probably texted you as soon as I showed up to that damn party! The only reason you are even here is to try and sabotage it!"

She reached out for him but he pulled away out of her reach, "That's not true! I told you I was coming home today! You've known for months that today was my first day back!" he turned away from her, the memory of her words slamming into his head, making him feel like an idiot "You knew I was coming, but you 'forgot', hoping I would clean up your little mess yet again. All you have to do is ask Darien, I don't mind sending off the unwanted."

"The only unwanted here is you!"

"Please, Darien..I've missed you." She wrapped her arms around him again, this time quickly making her way down the front of his pants and grabbing him before he could shove her off.

"Stop it! You need to leave now!"

She started touching herself, trying to turn him on but it just made him sick. "Is that what you really want? For me to leave?"

He bent down, picking her clothes up off the floor and throwing them in her face. "If you are not out in the next 5 minutes, I'm calling the cops."

He stormed out, not giving her the chance to try and call his bluff. Even though he really did want to call the cops on her. Thank God Serena hadn't been home. Who knows what Michelle would have said to her and Serena is just so gullible.

oOo

She managed to contain her tears until she was on the subway. Then she became a New York stereotype, crying on the subway and not giving a damn who saw her. Anyone who gave her a look, she glared back at them.

She rode the subway back and forth, no clue where to go. Finally, too exhausted to go anywhere else, she found herself at Mina's door. She knocked but no one answered, so she used her key and let herself in.

She flipped on the lights, Mina's apartment was about the same size as hers, except her kitchen was smaller since Mina didn't see cooking as a priority. And where her place was yellows and pinks, Mina's was whites and golds.

Flopping on Mina's bed, she let it all go, finding herself more emotional than usual. She was probably overreacting. She didn't even give Darien a chance to explain. But Michelle's words struck a chord that she couldn't deny. He had been with many women and he had told her that they hadn't meant anything to him. Did she mean anything to him, or was she just another port in the storm, someone to pass the time until Michelle came home? A part of her told her it wasn't true, that he had shown her many times over that he cared for her. But another part of her, one that was just below the surface told her that what Michelle said was true, that he had been using her from the start, that he was so clearly out of her league from the beginning and how could she not see all his lies?

Her brain burned and her heart ached. And her stomach turned. She ran to the bathroom, silently wishing she could throw up her feelings and flush them away too.

oOo

It was getting dark and there was still no sign of Serena, or Richard for that matter. The front door opened and he ran to it expectantly. But instead of Serena, he found Richard.

"Good God, man. Where have you been?"

"I've been looking for Miss. Sparrow."

He led the older man to a chair, grabbing him a glass of water as he was covered in sweat, "Looking for her? Why would you do that? Isn't she with Mina?"

"I don't know, sir. All I know is that Miss Michelle ambushed her in the hallway."

"Fuck." Serena had been home when Michelle was here.

He grabbed up his phone, calling her cell. It rang twice before it went to voicemail. He called again and again and again till finally, it stopped ringing altogether. Running over to the small table in the hall near the door, he found the sticky note Serena had made for him, the scribbles of her friends' numbers all over it. He found Mina's and started praying that she would at least pick up.

"Hello?"

"Mina, it's Darien."

"Darien? Well, this is a sur…"

"Is Serena with you?"

"Serena? No, we split ways hours ago. Is she not with you?"

"No, she isn't."

"Have you tried calling her?"

"Several times….but she won't pick up."

"Damnit, Darien, what did you do now?"

"I forgot a very important date."

"Serena doesn't care about that shit."

"She cared about this one."

oOo

A hand settled on her shoulder. Her eyes felt like sandpaper, all their moisture now soaked Mina's pillow under her. Mina looked down on her with a sad smile.

"Aw, honey."

She glanced behind Mina, seeing her date standing a few respectful steps away. "Oh, Mina. I'm so sorry, your date! I'll go."

She tried to get up but was shoved back down to the mattress. "You are not going anywhere. Just stay here, relax."

Mina left her, talking to the man for a moment before giving him a kiss and walking him to the door. When she came back, she had her phone out and up to her ear.

"Darien," she blanched, "Yeah, she's here, she's safe….talk to her?" Mina looked over at her and she shook her head firmly, "She isn't up for it right now…...No, I understand that…..look, she is just really upset…..and I agree with you but for now, let me talk to her and get her calmed down…..okay, I will tell her." She lowered the phone, giving her her full attention, "Darien says to come home." She shook her head again and Mina sat next to her on the bed, pushing a strand of hair out of her wet face, "You want to tell me what happened?"

She started at the beginning, giving Mina all the details of their little split a few weeks ago and how it bled into the conversation she had with Michelle a few hours ago. How Darien had never fully explained his relationship with Michelle and how perfect Michelle was for him.

"You know, I talked to Darien about this too and it sounds to me like Michelle is just a jealous bitch."

"I know you're right, that she just said those things to get to me. And I let her, I let her get under my skin. But, I can't deny that there are things she was right about. He never said exactly what his and Michelle's relationship was. And there were a few things not right about the way he acted or some of the things he said."

"So talk to him! Ask him about these...issues you have. Don't let Michelle have the last word!"

"I know you're right and I will. I just...need some time, to think things through."

Just as he did before, Darien respected her wishes and gave her some time. But he told Mina he wouldn't give much, a promise that both scared and thrilled her. Sunday came and went, slower than it did when she spent it wrapped up with Darien. Either way, it was Monday and her continued nausea reminded her of her appointment with Dr. Jenkins that afternoon. At least she would hopefully have one thing resolved by the end of the day.

"I gotta go now. Doctor's appointment."

Mina furrowed her brows, "Really? And it's no coincidence that this appointment happens to land around the time that Darien usually stops by?"

"Of course not, Mina! I made this appointment days ago!"

Actually, she had planned on getting Darien to take her, using his car to keep out of the heat as much as possible. And maybe fool around in the back seat a little. But now, she just wasn't ready to see him, not yet. She wanted to focus on getting to the doctor and getting better.

The first thing she had to do? Pee in a cup. Then the nurses came in and out asking her questions and taking the usual vitals. After an eternity, Dr. Jenkins walked in, accompanied by another Doctor, a woman with short white hair and kind, motherly eyes.

"Serena, this is Dr. Fields, I've called her in for a consult and to help me discuss just what is going on with you."

Her hands started to shake, "Oh God, is it that bad?"

"Well...that really depends on you."

Dr. Fields took over for him, "Serena, you're pregnant,"

Everything stopped, all except her mind which continued to race. Pregnant? She couldn't be pregnant. She was on the pill. That was its job! It had one job to do and it had….failed?! Her mind started spinning, counting all the times she and Darien had had sex, the math not even making sense because what did it matter how many times they had slept together; the deed had been done.

Dr. Jenkins looked worried, leaning over to Dr. Fields. "Is this normal?"

"It happens from time to time. Don't worry, she will come around shortly."

Her brain burned and let go, there was nothing else it could do, it had already been done. "Fuck."

"When was your last menstrual cycle?"

God, did she even know? She had just finished a birth control pack and had been waiting for her period so she could start the next one….that had been a week ago.

"Six weeks, I think?"

"Well, we can get a better idea when you have your first sonogram. Once we know how far along you are, we can discuss choices."

"Choices?"

"Yes, like abortion or adoption…"

"I'm keeping it."

"Oh...well alright then, good. Let's get you set up with a tech and get a look at your baby!"

It wasn't even a question in her mind. Age and lifestyle be damned, she was keeping this baby. And if you asked her why she was so sure of something like this, she wouldn't be able to tell you. But she knew that she wanted this baby no matter what. Dr. Fields' demeanor changed dramatically when she told her she was keeping the baby. But fear began like ice in her veins. She had been pregnant for at least six weeks, what all had she done in that time?

"Dr. Fields, I've drank. I've drank a few times. I didn't know…"

She was getting hysterical and Dr. Fields put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "How often have you consumed alcohol?"

She honestly thought about it. "Not even once a week."

"And what did you drink and how much?"

All she had been drinking was the occasional glass of wine with Darien, except for the 4th of July, "Wine, a glass. But on the 4th, I had two or three glasses of wine."

The look on Dr. Fields' face made her want to throw up. "We will look for any signs of distress when we get to the sonogram, but try not to worry. There are women who drink a lot more than that and have perfectly healthy babies."

She did not feel comforted. Her brain imagined the pain her baby felt every time she had even the tiniest sip of alcohol. Even though she had no clue what a baby felt when mommy drank alcohol in her freaked out mind, it was like pouring acid on them, eating away at its tiny little brain.

The ice cold gel on her stomach made her recoil in an instant, but soon the plastic scanner was pressed almost painfully into her abdomen. They looked around, pushing and searching until the room was filled with the baby's heartbeat, causing her own heartbeat to stop. Dr. Fields took over, moving the scanner around to assess her baby.

"Now, Serena, Fetal Alcohol syndrome really is impossible to diagnose before the baby is born but I can say, everything looks fine and normal. You really didn't drink enough to cause any damage, but let's stop from now on to be safe okay?"

Tears burned her eyes as she nodded, "Of course."

Dr. Fields had given her a ton of prenatal vitamins, free samples, and she took a dose while she walked back to Nectar.

She was 22 years old, still really young. Was she ready to be a mother? Every fiber in her being told her it didn't matter. This baby was hers and she was going to take care of it no matter what.

No matter what. Even if Darien wanted nothing to do with it or her anymore. She could do it without him. No matter how much it would hurt.

oOo

Even though he wasn't surprised, he was still disappointed when he entered Nectar and Serena wasn't there. Mina was sweeping the empty floor and gave him a sad smile. To which he quickly turned and left.

It was now day four and Serena still hadn't come around. He really couldn't believe she was putting him through this shit again. He dialed her number, hoping to get a few words in before she hung up on him at least. But Mina answered.

"Hey, Darien."

"Mina put Serena on the phone."

"Now is not a good time."

"Is there ever going to be a time that is good?"

Mina sighed heavily into the phone, "Look, she has promised to come and talk to you tomorrow. Can she meet you at your place?"

"Yes!" he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "No, I have to go out of town tomorrow."

Mina muffled the phone, but he could hear her relaying the message. He could just make out Serena's voice in the background and it was enough to make his heart race. "When will you be back?"

"Sunday."

Mina's voice was even and calm, trying to calm him as well, "Okay, she will see you on Sunday. Okay, Darien?"

He released another agitated breath, but what else could he do, "Yes, Sunday."

oOo

Darien's flight got back two hours ago, and she fidgeted as she rose in the elevator. She didn't know what he was going to say about Michelle. She had pretty much moved on from all that. Now with her little nugget inside her, it didn't matter what she had said. All she needed to do was tell Darien she was pregnant and let him decide from there what he wanted. She had already decided.

The bell of the elevator rang out in the empty hall and her nerves picked up a notch. So much so her hand shook as she tried to get her key in the door. She didn't bother to knock, mainly out of habit. But she also knew that, since it was Sunday, Darien would be here alone. The likelihood of him hearing the bell was slight.

She shut the door behind her, the snapping sound it made announcing her arrival. But the voice that called out was not Darien's, not even close.

"Darien? Is that you?"

She rounded the corner, coming out to where Serena stood in the kitchen. Michelle was dressed in a little neglige of pretty pink silk, a matching robe flowing around her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were Darien." Serena remained silent, trying to focus on just what she was there for. "Darien will be back shortly. He just went out for a moment. Condom run. You know how quickly those things tend to run out."

"No, I don't. Darien and I didn't use them."

She looked surprised for a split second, maybe from her candor or her bite, but she quickly recovered with a sneer. "Hence why I insist on them."

The roll of condoms in Darien's bedside table flashed in her mind. The two of them had stopped using them months ago, long before she ever came back to his place. Why did he even need them after so long? Who was he using them on?

If she went by Michelle, it would be on her. She glanced around nervously, wondering just how much longer she would have to wait with this woman and if she would have to tell Darien about their baby in front of her.

"How did you get in here anyway?" She flashed her key at her and again, shock rolled across her face and disappeared with a sneer, "Is he STILL giving out his key? I swear, that man and his locksmith have to be best friends by now. He practically keeps the man in business."

It was all adding up and getting to be too much. Michelle's continued presence and her current dress, the condoms in the nightstand, and Michelle's words. Sure, she should let Darien have a chance, but he would either weave his honeyed words to keep her on the side to use on Michelle's future sabbaticals or he would flat out tell her the truth, that he was using her for a good time and laugh in her face for ever thinking it was anything more. Either way, she didn't like the pain that was settling deep in her heart all the way to her backbone.

She turned, leaving the way she came, deciding then and there that she didn't care if Darien ever knew about his baby; she didn't want to raise it with him anyways.

oOo

"Goddamned airports and their goddamned delays!"

A few families quickly shifted away from him as he grappled with his one suitcase. He was supposed to be home hours ago but delay after delay led him to be landing in NYC three hours later than promised. He had expected to be wrapped up in his sheets with Serena by now, but he had missed Serena's visit for sure, which was probably why she wasn't answering her phone.

"Damnit!"

He ignored the stares. This is New York, get over it people.

Throwing money at the man, he hopped out of the taxi, not even bothering to go to his place, and going straight to Mina's. He banged on the door till finally, Mina opened, looking like she was ready to pound him.

"I'm sorry…..I'm a bit late."

"A bit late? What the fuck is wrong with you, Darien?"

He was out of breath, having run all the way up the 14 flights of stairs to Mina's, "Look...I tried...okay?...But I didn't have much say in it….so please...let me in...let me see her."

He moved to go around her but she countered, blocking him again, "No. You can't see her! She is fragile enough as it is. And I know Serena, she will forgive you too easily."

He was confused, he thought Mina was on his side, "What the hell Mina….just let me see her! Let me talk to her!"

Mina stood strong. "She isn't here anyway, too busy reeling from the conversation she had with Michelle when she should have been having it with you!"

"Michelle?!"

"We're done here."

She slammed the door in his face, leaving him in confusion. Confusion turned to anger as he left to seek out one woman he could get some straight answers out of.

He had never wanted to strike a woman before until he saw Michelle lounging around in negligee. He didn't even really need to ask at that point, putting two and two together, but he was still pissed.

"What The Fuck are you doing here Michelle! How did you even get in here?!"

"Your Doorman. We go way back, remember? And what were you thinking? Giving that woman a key? I thought you were smarter than that, Darien."

"That...woman... has a key because she lives here."

Michelle gave him a frown. "It doesn't look like it to me."

"Because you keep chasing her off!"

"I'm pretty sure if she really wanted to be here, I wouldn't be able to stop her."

"Serena's not like you."

"Yeah, that is obvious. You can't be serious. A girl like that, Darien? And bringing her around all of our friends? You've really embarrassed yourself."

"I don't give a damn what those people think. Serena is worth a thousand of them."

"Girls like her, Darien, are after one thing and one thing only. And what's this I hear about you going bareback with her? Are you really that stupid?!"

"Who told you that?"

"Why Serena herself."

"Why...why would she tell you that? She isn't like that unless...what did you say to her?!"

"Look, I did you a favor…"

"What did you say, Michelle!"

"I told her you were on a condom run! Bitch was all too eager to rub your sex life in my face!"

"Shut your mouth! You don't know a damned thing."

"I know you are being a jackass! Over a worthless piece of trash..."

"Michelle, I swear to God, if you say one more thing about Serena..."

"Calm down. She is hardly worth getting so worked up over."

He grabbed her by the arm, not caring about being gentle as he practically dragged her to the door and threw her out.

oOo

"Serena! Can you step into my office for a minute?"

She glanced at Mina who gave her a reassuring smile. She had told Mina about the baby, the night she fled from Darien's yet again in hysterics, and now she was going to tell Andrew.

She sat across from him, his small desk between them. "First, I want to not be your boss for a moment and be your brother Andrew, okay?"

"You never stop being either for me."

He smiled and took her hand in his. "Are you okay?"

He must have figured out something was up with her and Darien. She hadn't been hiding it as she hid from Darien every time he came into the cafe, ducking into the kitchen and 'helping' Lita wash dishes.

"I will be." She hoped that was true.

"Okay, enough with the sad, I have good news and bad news. Good news is, we got those two new locations we wanted, one in Chelsea and one in Brooklin."

"Oh, Andrew! That is so great!"

"Yeah and that's not all. I want you to train all of our new baristas!"

"Oh...Andrew…"

"It's a promotion, Serena, not a death sentence. I want to make you the manager of our Brooklin location. That's actually the good and bad news, that we won't all be working together every day anymore."

"But what about Mina? Doesn't she deserve this more?"

"She is going to Chelsea. But I want you to train everyone, Brooklyn, Chelsea, and your replacement here - not that you could ever be replaced."

"What about Lita?"

"She is staying here, training our cooks and managing this store. I have to manage all of you now so I'm getting a promotion, too, in a way."

"Andrew...I'm so grateful...I just don't know if I can…"

"Look, Serena, I'm not blind, I see what you are going through. And I think you need a change of pace, a fresh start. And don't worry, we will still perform here once a week as promised."

"That all sounds great but Andrew, there is something I have to tell you before you send me out the door to run your store."

"And that is?"

"...I'm pregnant."

He sat there, staring at her for who knows how long, then he plastered a smile on his face. "Does he know?"

"No….and I don't know if I want him to."

He shook his head at her. "Serena, as a father, let me give you some advice. As much as you would like to tell yourself that it's your life, telling him or not, it's really not. It stopped being your life the minute two heartbeats occupied your body. You need to do what is best for the baby and having the father around is usually what is best."

"I get that, I really do. But is it really best for this child to have a father who is forced to be with them? Or to be forever tied to someone by a check and court order? I have run a thousand scenarios in my head and none of them end happily."

"So are you doing this alone for the baby or for him?"

"...both. I refuse to be an obligation and it has been made pretty clear that that is all we would be."

"Well...I guess it's a good thing I will be paying you more!"

oOo

Serena was ghosting him. After all they had been through and all he had given her, this was how she was ending it? It had been two weeks since he had seen her face or heard her voice and it was killing him. Even with her voice playing over and over again in his head and her face flashing in front of his eyes at night when he dreamed.

He never should have gotten involved with her, then he wouldn't feel like this. Like he was dying slowly.

Now he didn't even bother going to Nectar, he knew she wouldn't be there or at least, she wouldn't let him see her. He was no fool; he knew she was hiding in the back from him. How childish.

And he didn't miss how his staff hid whenever he came around. The only one brave enough to face him was Amy but he had a feeling that was more out of pride. She refused to shrink away from him, a way of standing up to him and for her friend.

And she wasn't sleeping at home, her apartment empty night after night. He felt like a stalker, going into her apartment while she wasn't there, but his bed had long ago stopped smelling of her. He stood in the living room, just staring at the empty bed. The one that they had shared so many times, now sat so empty and alone. It was the perfect metaphor for himself.

This had to stop. He had to stop coming here, he had to move on, this would be the last time he would come here. She left him. He had cared for her more than anyone, but it was over now. A failed experiment, he was never meant to be with someone, especially someone like Serena.

He was ready to move on, to throw himself into his work until he was numb. First things first.

"Amy, would you bring me the Nectar contracts and call Henderson in here?"

End of Part 1


End file.
